Dorothy June Gifford, 91, of Long Beach, CA and formerly of New Ulm passed away Sunday, March 9, 2014 at The Wellstead of Rogers in Rogers. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, April 5, 2014 at Minnesota Valley Funeral Home NORTH CHAPEL in New Ulm. Visitation will be two hours prior to the service on Saturday at the funeral home.

Dorothy is survived by her brothers, Merton Johnson of Dillon, Colorado, Raymond (Marlys) Johnson of Marshall; and many nieces and nephews.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Bob Gifford; sisters, Ruth Johnson, Karen Gagen; and brother, Calvin Johnson.

Dorothy June Johnson was born in St. Paul, MN, on June 2, 1922 to Ruth (Haberstad) Johnson and Raymond Johnson of rural New Ulm. Dorothy spent her childhood on the family farm, lovingly named 'Home Acres' by her father. After attending country school for the early grades, Dorothy graduated from Winthrop high School in 1940 and then attended Mankato Business College. For two years, she worked as a secretary in Minneapolis. When visiting a girlfriend in California, she met Bob Gifford, a WWII Navy veteran. Dorothy and Bob were married at United Methodist Church in New Brighton, MN on September 27, 1947. She then joined Bob in California, where they made their life of 55 years together in Long Beach. Dorothy worked full time in secretarial positions until she retired from McDonald Douglas. She had a beautiful voice and enjoyed singing in the Methodist church choir. Dorothy had a passion for traveling and seeing the world, golfing, and spending time with her dogs. In 2011, she returned to Minnesota to be near her family.