Dorothy Louise Book, a beloved mother, grandmother, and the cherished matriarch of her family, passed away gracefully on June 23, 2026, at the age of 102, just one month shy of her 103rd birthday.

Born on July 22, 1923, in Loveland, Colorado and moved to LaGrange, Wyoming, to Waldo and Hazel Green, Dorothy was the oldest of eight children. Growing up on a ranch alongside her five sisters and two brothers, she learned the values of resourcefulness, resilience, and hard work early on attributes that would define her long and remarkable life. At age 17, she moved with her family to Cheyenne, which became her beloved home for the next 85 years.

During World War II, Dorothy married her first husband, Donald Sample. Together they shared a beautiful life filled with swing dancing—for which Dorothy took great pride in making her own dresses—and welcomed two children, Martin and Marlene Sue. Following Donald’s untimely passing at age 42 due to diabetes, and the heartbreaking loss of her 21-year-old daughter, Marlene, Dorothy faced immense grief with an inspiring, quiet strength. She later found companionship again and remarried, Rolland Book. Although she survived the loss two husbands, she did not lose her capacity for joy.

As the cornerstone of her family, Dorothy was a true matriarch. She led not through forceful advice, but by quiet example, firmly believing in self-determination and that everyone should "do their thing." Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren remember her as a constant source of unconditional support, warmth, and cheerfulness. She possessed a unique ability to find the silver lining in any situation, frequently reminding those she loved that "worrying doesn’t get you much of anywhere."

Dorothy lived through a century of profound change, navigating everything from the Great Depression to the global coronavirus pandemic. She possessed a lifelong passion for learning; she was one of the few in her generation to achieve a high school diploma when academic help was scarce, and in her later years, she eagerly embraced new technology—using a tablet to play Scrabble (playing against her “friend Al” – or Artificial Intelligence to most) and staying connected with family on Facebook. Despite her modernization, she proudly remained a lifelong holdout against smartphones and never once bought a Ziploc baggie, maintaining a fierce, practical thriftiness to the very end.

Even at 102, Dorothy met each day with purpose, making her bed, doing her makeup, and greeting life with immense gratitude. She will be remembered precisely as she hoped to be: as a deeply thoughtful, caring, and kind soul whose elegant resilience left an indelible mark on everyone who knew her.

Dorothy is survived by her loving son, Martin Sample and his wife, her step son Gary Book and his wife and her loving and devoted grandchildren, her many great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren as well as a large, extended family of siblings, nieces, and nephews who all knew and loved her and who will carry her memory forward.