Dorothy Irene Kett passed away on February 10, 2024 at the age of 100.

The oldest of five children, she was born in Chicago in 1923 and spent her earliest years in the city. Her father Edward C. Kett was a freight clerk for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, and her mother, Agnes, worked as an operator for the Bell Telephone Company.

The Kett family moved to west suburban Lombard, Illinois, in 1929 when Dorothy was six years old. She and her siblings first attended Sacred Heart elementary school and later graduated from Glenbard High School (now Glenbard West) in neighboring Glen Ellyn.

In 1941, shortly before the U.S. entry into World War II, 18-year-old Dorothy Kett began working as a bond clerk at the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Chicago, commuting daily from Lombard. In the 1950s she left the bank, cashing out her accrued pension funds to attend Loyola University, where she earned a college degree, leading to her next profession as a public school teacher and librarian. She retired from teaching in 1980.

An avid sailing and fishing enthusiast, Dorothy purchased a summer cottage on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in the early 1960s, maintaining her own sailboat and a full tackle box. She also traveled extensively across the U.S. with her circle of friends, and ultimately visited some of the Canadian provinces, as well as Ireland and several other European countries.

Music was a vitally important part of Dorothy's life, and two of her closest friends, Geri Alt and Mary Rosso, were part-time professional musicians and entertainers with a female combo known as the Melo-Dears. Dorothy herself played violin and piano, and regularly attended concerts and nightclub performances at venues such as Mister Kellys in downtown Chicago. Among Dorothy's favorite performers was Fats Domino, whom she was able to see live at a club in New Orleans; his "Blueberry Hill" was one of her favorite recordings, along with Linda Ronstadt's version of "Blue Bayou."

Dorothy herself was likely to break into song at a moment's notice, with a personal repertoire that included vintage classics ranging from "Fly Me to the Moon" and "Show Me the Way to Go Home" to "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum," and traditional Irish favorites such as "Wearing of the Green" and "Molly Malone."

Dorothy and some of her close friends resided together in the Chicagoland area and in Barrington, Illinois, during their working careers. They later bought a rustic summer home and fishing retreat in Ely, Minnesota, and eventually owned properties in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, although Dorothy maintained her primary residences in the Chicago suburbs, allowing her to stay in close touch with her immediate family members and old friends.

At the age of 95, Dorothy became a resident of Villa St. Benedict Assisted Living in Lisle, Illinois, where she gained dozens of new friends and admirers.

Possessing a magnetic personality, full of humor, wisdom, a childlike curiosity and a positive outlook on life, "Aunt Dorothy" was adored by her nieces and nephews, and her mischievous, fun-loving nature easily won her friends wherever she went. She remained a devout Roman Catholic throughout her life, and her generosity and concern for others will never be forgotten.

Dorothy Kett is survived by her dear sister, Rosemary (late Richard) DeWitt, fourteen nieces and nephews, and many longtime friends, including Alice Dunne, Libby Hamling, and Joan Wallace.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Edward C. and Agnes (nee Kruta) Kett; two brothers, Robert (late Gladyce) Kett and Edward T. (late Betty) Kett; a sister, Patricia (late Raymond) Saavedra; three nephews, Richard "Ricky" DeWitt, Russell DeWitt, and Stephen DeWitt; and her close friends Geraldine Alt, Mary Kaiser, Mary Rosso, and Marie Albue.

A visitation will be held February 16, 2024 from 4:00pm - 8:00pm at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., in Wheaton, Illinois. A funeral mass will be held February 17, 2024 at Sacred Heart Monastery, 1910 Maple Ave, in Lisle, IL. Guests are invited to visit with the family at the church from 9:30am until the start of the mass at 11:00am. Interment will follow at Assumption Cemetery in Winfield, Illinois.

Family and friends may sign a guest book at hultgrenfh.com. For more information, please call Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-0027.