Dorothea "Dort" Hibbs Kratzer passed away on the evening of Sunday, January 2, 2022, in Wilmington, Ohio. She was 95 years old. Dorothea was born on February 18, 1926, in Jefferson Township, Clinton County, Ohio, the oldest child of the late Joseph Walter "JW" Hibbs and Mary Christina Johnson Hibbs. Dorothea was a graduate of Jefferson Township High School, Class of 1943. As a young woman during World War II, she held clerical positions at Wright Patterson, the Sharonville Engineering Depot, and the Clinton County Air Force Base. On June 19, 1948, she married Dale Taylor Kratzer and together they had four children: Mike, Steve, Joe, and Andrea. Dorothea and Dale were married for 30 years, until his death in 1978. Together they operated a mini farm in Jefferson Township, selling strawberries and other produce in the summers. They built a life together centered on their children, the schools, and their local farming community. Dorothea was an elementary school teacher at Jefferson School in the Blanchester Local School District for 24 years, retiring in the late 1990s. She was a historian and storyteller at heart and used these gifts in the classroom and throughout the Clinton County community. She compiled multiple volumes of records for the Clinton County Genealogical Society. She researched, wrote, and published the Jefferson Memory Book, a collection of biographies of graduates from Jefferson Township School from 1922 through 1959. Dorothea was well-known in the local Quaker community for her children's stories at Wilmington Friends Meeting. As time passed, her storytelling ability and love of history naturally merged, and she presented entertaining historical programs for civic organizations and alumni events. In later years, she was an active member of the Jefferson Township Cemetery Association and attended Westboro United Methodist Church. Dorothea was a seeker of new experiences and loved adventure and travel. Her favorite trips were to China as part of the Dayton Area Friendship Force in the early 1980s, Sweden and Norway to visit the homes of her ancestors, Kenya in the 1990s as a representative of the Friends World Committee for Consultation, and a boat "cruise" on a converted rubber baron ship on the Amazon River in Peru. Dorothea was named an Outstanding Woman of Clinton County in 2010. Dorothea loved music, theatre, and reading. She will be remembered for her kindness, her devotion to her family, and her independent nature. She had a kooky sense of humor, a quick smile, and was an enthusiastic shopper. She will be missed by many. In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by sons Steve Kratzer and Joe (Susan) Kratzer, and brothers Donald (Martha) Hibbs and Harold (Vera) Hibbs. She is survived by her son Mike (Charlotte) Kratzer and daughter Andrea (Frank) Tacoronte; grandchildren Mike (Lisa) Kratzer, Josh (Sarah) Kratzer, Brian Kratzer, Jillyn (Carson) George, Misty (Jerry) Bray, Keely (Chris Guard) Weis, Jonathan Tacoronte, and Eliana Tacoronte; great-grandchildren Taylor (Jacob) Osborne, Payton Phillips, Jackson Bray, Judson Bray, Tharren Kratzer, Kambrilyn "Becca" Kratzer, Kenzie Kratzer, Chelcia Criss, and Burch Kratzer; daughter-in-law Susan (Joe) Kratzer; and sisters-in-law Beverly (Ronald) Maddox and Martha (Donald) Hibbs; and several nieces and nephews. Dorothea, in a final act of service, donated her body to science through The Ohio State University. A celebration of Dorothea's life will be held in the future and scheduled at the convenience of family and friends. The family would like to give special thanks to the Clinton County Adult Day Center and Ohio Living Cape May for their support of Dorothea in her last years. Donations may be made in memory of Dorothea Hibbs Kratzer to the Jefferson Township Cemetery Association and mailed to Treasurer, Jefferson Township Cemetery Association, 7010 Maple Creek Drive, Liberty Township, OH 45044-9207.