Mrs. Dorothy Ann Noftsger, of Rochester, passed away 10;20 PM, Wednesday, April 4, 2012, at Parkview Regional Hospital, Fort Wayne. Dorothy was born in Oakland, CA on September 19, 1932, the daughter of Manuel and Geraldine Borges Dias. She was of Portuguese heritage. Growing up she shared her childhood with five sisters: Florence, Marie, Josephine, Delores, and Lu. On January 15, 1960, Dorothy and Bennie Dean Noftsger were married in Oakland, CA. Their union of 43 years produced seven beautiful daughters and two handsome sons. The family tree grew with the additions of 25 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren. Bennie preceded her in death on August 20, 2003. As matriarch of her family, overseeing four generations, Dorothy, known as "Granny", ruled with respect, authority and love. She embraced the challenges of raising nine children and loved helping out with babysitting her grandchildren in their youth---and most recently helping with the great-grandchildren. The older grand kids so admired "Granny" that they included her in all of the activities. She especially loved dancing, cocktails and watching channel 17 TMC, movie classics with them. Remembered as an extraordinary cook, Dorothy always hosted a sit down dinner after church that included one of her specialties--fried chicken with all of the trimmings. Fish on Fridays was a tradition, but she was best remembered for her culinary skills with the preparations of her crispy fried potatoes garnished with onions, and liver and onions. Granny looked forward to celebrating family birthdays and the holidays with her kitchen serving as the central hub of the activities. Christmas and Thanksgiving always brought about the football game tradition in the side yard were all the kids would join in. She enjoyed handiwork in her spare time that included needle point and crocheting, creating treasures and heirlooms for her family. A life member of the Eagles, Dorothy attained the coveted "Golden Eagle," status. She was also a member of the Ladies Auxiliaries of the LeRoy Shelton American Legion Post #36, the Manitou V.F.W. Post #1343, the 40 & 8 of Logansport and the Antioch Baptist Church. To relax she enjoyed the music of Elvis Presley and Jim Reeves. Dorothy was the proud owner of a unique collection of Elvis memorabilia. She was also a collector of John Wayne and Sam Elliott treasures. Dorothy will be lovingly remembered by 6 daughters: Nancy Lyke & husband LeRoy of LaPaz, Sara Lyke & husband Dean of LaPaz, Teresa Maynard of Rochester, Bonnie Hicks of Delphi, Roxie Hutchison of Rochester, Helen Weese & husband Jerry of Rochester; a son, Peter Noftsger & wife Kathy of Palestine; 25 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; and 5 sisters: Florence Johnson, Marie Gonsalves, Josephine Gonsalves, Delores Rodrigues, & Lucille "Lu" Silva, all of CA. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, a daughter Theann Noftsger, a son Benjamin Noftsger, and 2 grandsons, Dean Weese and Jonathon Langley. Rev. Jerry Pitman will officiate services. Interment will be in the Rochester IOOF Cemetery.