Dorothy Jean Sirrine

Dorothy Jean was born in St. Johns, Michigan on July 6, 1922 at the Clinic Building on Spring St. Her parents were Glenn and Fay Osgood, who would later provide her with two sisters, Janet and Shirley and a brother, Glenn Jr. D.J.’s father and grandfather owned W. R. Osgood & Son Furniture and Undertakers in downtown St. Johns. Her grandfather had a horse-drawn hearse in the “old days”. D.J. recalls going to the train station to receive furniture supplies, caskets, and vaults. As the funeral part of the business grew, the Osgood family bought the house at 104 E. Cass and made it into a funeral home. That building was replaced with the existing building under her direction in the 1990’s. As D.J. lived in St. Johns all her life, she saw the town change. She recalls her family buying their first Buick LaSalle in 1927 from the Pohl brothers. D.J drove the car when she was 12, even though she wasn’t supposed to. D.J.’s dad Glenn made the first radio in St. Johns as he had a little room in front of the furniture store where he serviced and sold radios. The time from first radios to iPhones was a struggle for her as with many of her generation.

As a young girl, D.J. attended Central School from kindergarten through Jr. High School. She loved school and was quite bright, especially in math and writing. She even skipped a few grades. At the age of 10, D.J. started junior high. This is when she met her future husband, Robert Rexford Sirrine. D.J. wanted to go see a movie, but in those days, girls didn’t go to the movies by themselves. Fay called Ruth Sirrine, Bob’s mom, and asked if Bob would take her. D.J. knew that Bob’s dad worked at the bank, but she didn’t really know Bob, but they went and saw a movie. D.J. graduated from RB Wilson HS in 1938 at the age of 16. One year after graduating she went to Michigan Agricultural College, now Michigan State University. She lived in the dorm and had the same roommate until graduation. She enjoyed many campus meals with her grandma who took in student boarders. She earned a degree in Home Economics.

D.J.’s parents built a log cabin on Higgins Lake in 1938. Much of her time there was spent swimming, sailing, cooking and sewing. D.J. recalls sewing so much that her dad would get tired of hearing “that machine” run as it interfered with his naps. Although D.J. and her siblings sold that cottage after their parents died, she and Bob bought their own property two houses down. Higgins Lake continues to be a place enjoyed by D.J.’s family.

On August 13th, 1944, Dorothy Jean and Bob were married at the Methodist Church. The reception was held there too; receptions were pretty simple then. Fay made most of the food and brought her own dishes. Bob was on leave from the Navy on his way to California where he would be ordered to Hawaii. Missing combat as the war ended, Bob remained in the Naval Reserve for 25 years with DJ’s continuing support.

D.J. and Bob eventually returned to St. Johns and settled into the funeral business. They lived on N. Clinton Ave. in Bob’s grandparent’s home next to his parents. There they raised their four children; John, Bill, Mary Pat and Angela. An idyllic 50’s and 60’s Ozzie and Harriet family with work, school and lots of activities for all. DJ provided a proper upbringing for her family. Although their children often remember them working a lot at the funeral home, there were still many family gatherings; mostly to Higgins Lake. It was rare for Bob and D.J. to miss an event for their nine grandchildren though. Whether it was driving as the chauffer to a prom, bringing sheep to school for show-and-tell, making a dress that was ”almost sewn” to you, attending soccer and football games, plays, dance and piano recitals, or just a day of leisure at Higgins Lake, they were present.

For some reason, as the kids were leaving home, Bob & DJ took a chance on rural living on North County Line Rd. There they raised sheep, rams, and chased a few calves. The rams never liked each other or D.J., as she recalled.

As retirement came near, Bob developed Alzheimer’s and DJ had a new task as caregiver. This time of her life was hard but she persevered and made the best for them.

Dorothy Jean was a strong-willed woman who believed in faith, family, and community. She had a deep passion for sharing God’s word with anyone that would listen. She loved to sing and spent most of her adult years in her church choir. Her passion for signing started at the age of 4, with D.J. actually singing, “Jesus Loves Me” at Spartan Stadium. Her singing and even creation of songs continues to bless her great-grandchildren who often like singing, “God is so good” or “Peter, and James, and John in the Sailboat”.

Mom leaves quite the legacy behind. She instilled a hard-work ethic to her children and even grandchildren. She modeled love, dedication, and devotion to her family. She exposed and shared beautiful places like Higgins Lake and Anna Maria Island, Florida with her family who continue to make memories there. She taught the importance of saving and keeping track of things. And most of all, she showed what it meant to be a faithful servant of the Lord, recently sharing her favorite verse 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, I will hear them from heaven and heal their land.”