Dorothy Rypka, 93, of Owatonna, died Tuesday, December 4, 2018. Dorothy Bell Hubbard was born on October 20, 1925 in Blairsburg, Iowa. Her parents, Glenwood and Helen Lois Hubbard lived the life of dairy farmers; instilling the love of animals in Dorothy at an early age. In her teenage years, the family moved to another farm near Maxwell, Iowa. Like most farm children, she had plenty of chores and animal care responsibilities along with school and the occasional break with her music loving family and friends. Dorothy always had a special passion for Guernsey cattle. At a cattle-swapping business meeting with the Rypka Oak Grove Guernsey Farm, she met Jerome Rypka. With so much in common, they married on August 12, 1945 and she moved to the Rypka farm in Owatonna. Together, Dorothy and Jerry raised three sons and developed one of the premier Guernsey herds in southern Minnesota. The Rypka farm was always an immaculate, modern showpiece. It won awards, was featured in magazines and hosted dairy industry meetings and visitors from around the world. Even more precious to Dorothy were the thousands of elementary age kids who visited just to get a chance to touch a real-live calf. From the �˜50's into the 70's, every grade school student in Owatonna was bussed to the Rypka farm to spend a special half day seeing what it might be like to be a dairy farmer. Though many knew Jerry as the face of the Oak Grove Farm, Dorothy was a key to its success. She was the bookkeeper for the farm business. She was the herd geneticist and maintained all the paperwork for herd registration and classification, including hand-penciled drawings of each cow. She was the resident veterinarian caring for every sick cow, calf, dog and cat. She drove tractors, milked cows, baled hay, tended garden, cleaned barn, and kept the milking equipment spotless �¦and there was always time to cook and clean for a family of five who never missed a meal or heard a complaint about the lifestyle she chose. Owner of a recognized century farm, Dorothy was an active member of the Minnesota State Guernsey Association, Women's Club of Owatonna and the Steele County Historical Society as volunteer & contributor. As a member of the United Methodist Women, she served many snacks and meals at church events. She helped with the cattle show at the Steele County Fair for nearly 50 years. Dorothy was elected to the Steele County Livestock Hall of fame in 2012. Later in life when the physical demands of the cattle got to be too much, the family made the painful decision to sell the cows. Still, Dorothy remained active on the farm, helping with crops and developing an even greater interest in gardening. She raised and sold hundreds of exotic hosta and other plants to other local gardening and landscaping aficionados. Along with her love of family and the farm, she had a passion for music. She loved to sing with her mother and sister. Early in her marriage, she sang and played numerous instruments in the Jerry Rypka Orchestra. They played for dances all over southern Minnesota and northern Iowa yet were always back home in time for the 4:30 am milking! Dorothy sang with the Wenger Singers in the 1950's and 60's. She was an active soloist and member of the Methodist church choir for over 50 years, rarely missing a service and was happily on call for hundreds of weddings and funerals. She was especially proud of being a member of the Tenny Chorale during that group's tenure in Owatonna. Dorothy lived a productive and fulfilling life. Unfortunately by her late-80's, dementia started taking hold and she eventually moved away from the farm into memory care. Even so, visits with her there always started with How are things at the farm? Dorothy is survived by three sons: David (Julie) Rypka of Naperville, IL, Dann (Susan) Rypka of Clinton Falls, MN and Dixon (Shelly) Rypka of Owatonna, MN; four grandchildren: Robert (Erin), Ryan, Katelyn and Kalina; and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Jerome and sister Helen Leora Whaley. Visitation will be at Michaelson Funeral Home, Owatonna on Wednesday, December 19, 2018 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Funeral services will be held December 20, 2018 at 10:30 am with visitation with 1 hour prior at United Methodist Church with Pastor Linda Boorman officiating. Interment will be in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Owatonna. Memorials are preferred to Steele County Historical Society. Visitation: 12/19/2018 16:00 12/19/2018 19:00 Service: 12/20/2018 10:30