Zahn had fun approach to life, family

Dorothy Zahn was a woman that loved to live. With a fun demeanor, she attracted others with her temperament of friendliness and availability.

Zahn was actively involved in her children’s lives as a volunteer chaperone.

Debbie Welch, Zahn’s daughter, said she felt fortunate to have a mother like Zahn.

“On band trips, when I was younger, the kids enjoyed her because she wasn’t stiff-laced like other parents,” Welch said. “She knew how to be your friend.”

Family members said she lived by the motto of, “Let me live in a house beside the road and be a friend to all people especially the little ones.”

When it came to helping others, Zahn gave to her family by teaching them the right way of doing things through her strong work ethic and high standards.

Richard Zahn, Dorothy Zahn’s husband, said his wife was a wonderful helpmate.

“If I needed help, I didn’t have to hire anyone because she helped in every way from driving a peanut wagon to hoeing,” he said.

Among the many things that Zahn taught her daughter, Welch said a key lesson was not to be prissy when others needed your help.

“Mom was well balanced,” Welch said. “She wasn’t afraid of dirt. She taught me as a youngster that I was washable, but also how to be pretty when the time called for it.”

Zahn was an avid dancer and loved sewing, cooking and fishing.

She enjoyed traveling with her husband to various places in Mexico, Arizona and Colorado (to name a few) to watch car races. Richard Zahn said the energetic atmosphere of the car rallies kept them eager to attend the next one.

Dorothy Zahn died on Sept. 28, 2004. She was born on April 11, 1932, in Causey, to Lillie Mae and William A. Chambers.

She attended a small country school in Chaves and in Roswell before the family move to Portales in the early 1940’s. She married Richard Zahn on Jan. 30, 1949 where they made their home as peanut farmers.

Craig Zahn, Dorothy Zahn’s son, said his mother taught him to be more adamant when finding a solution to a problem.

Her mind-set was to keep going and not give up.

“She was a person people could depend on and use as a role model,” he said.