Dorothy J. Kearns, 70, of New Holstein, passed away at her home on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, after a long battle with cancer.  Dorothy was born July 15, 1952, in Fond du Lac, to Laura (Morgan) Fox and the late John "Jack" Fox.  She graduated from St. Mary Springs Academy in 1970.  On October 27, 1973, she married Michael Kearns at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Fond du Lac.  Dorothy was employed for a short time at Hanks Lockers before working for Kestell Furniture for 45 years until her retirement.  She was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church.  Dorothy was an avid deer hunter, enjoyed spending time at the cabin and being outdoors, including splitting wood and tending to the flowers in her garden.  She also enjoyed quilting and attending her nieces' volleyball games.  Even though Dorothy did not attend a lot of family functions in her early years, it meant the world for her to be with family when she did.

In addition to her husband, Michael and her mother, Laura Fox - Thomas, she is survived by her brothers and sisters; Patricia (Dean) Ziegenbein, Joan (Bill) Ferguson, John (Melanie) Fox, Robert (Michelle) Fox, George (Dina) Fox, Therese (Russ) Drake, Colleen (Tony) Rowe, Paula (John) Schultz and Anthony Fox; her sister-in-law, Barb Kearns; her aunts, Mary Wagner and Bernice Evenson; her close special friend, Audry Heus; her God-children, Dr. Elizabeth Lambie and Morgan Love.  She is further survived by numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, other relatives, friends and will be missed by her dog, Charlie.

In addition to her father, Jack, she was preceded in death by her step father; Jerry Thomas, her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Tom and Bea Kearns.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at Meiselwitz-Vollstedt-DeTroye Funeral Home (815 6th Street, Kiel) from 2:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., when brief family rites will be held and the funeral procession will depart for Holy Rosary Catholic Church (1724 Madison Street, New Holstein) where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 4:00 p.m.  Interment will follow at Eaton Cemetery.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff of Compassus Hospice and to the doctors and nurses at the Theda Clark Clinic and Cancer Center for their care and compassion.