Dolores Elizabeth (Pape) Wunn was born on November 20, 1927 in Beresford, SD to Stephan and Anna Pape, who had immigrated from Germany in 1923. Dolores was the second child of the family that included Regina, Lee, Theresa, Rudolph, Anthony, Mary, and Annette.
Dolores was raised in South Dakota until the age of seven when the family moved to Sheldon, IA. During World War II the Pape family relocated to Tacoma, WA for four years where Stephan worked as a welder in the shipyards. Dolores graduated from St. Leo's High School just before the Pape family returned to Sheldon, where Dolores worked at the Sheldon Sun and Swifts.
Dolores married Duane Wunn at St. Patrick's Church in Sheldon on July 19, 1949. They lived in Spencer and Algona, IA before moving to Estherville, IA in 1952. They moved into their Estherville home on 5th Avenue North in 1955.
Duane and Dolores welcomed daughters Dianne and Debra into the family in the early 1950's. They mourned the loss of daughter Donna in 1953. Denise was added to the family in 1964. Dolores devoted herself to raising the girls and managing the household for 18 years. Her hobbies included sewing, crocheting, and knitting.
Dolores worked for 27 years at the Estherville Public Library. During her tenure she had a variety of responsibilities and was certified as a library clerk by the State of Iowa. Her greatest pleasure was helping patrons locate a particular book or media item.
Dolores and Duane were lifelong members of St. Patrick's Parish. Dolores was an active member of the Catholic Daughters of America. During retirement she was a tireless volunteer and especially enjoyed attending daily Mass.
In retirement Dolores and Duane traveled to MN and VA to visit their grandchildren - Tim, Anna, and Patrick Bode, John, Matt and Caroline Cancian and great-grandchildren – Eldaree Cancian, John Wunn Cancian, Jr, and Charles Ratliff Cancian. She also traveled to Ames IA and North Grafton MA to visit Denise. They enjoyed annual reunions of Duane's shipmates from the USS Wann. They also joined the Pape family trip to Rome in 2002. The family gathered for several years in the Northwoods of MN.
In November 2011, they relocated to Keelson Harbour in Spirit Lake. They had wonderful care from the staff of Keelson Harbour and Hawkeye Care Center. Dolores passed away on March 28, 2017 at Hawkeye Care Center in Spirit Lake, Iowa at the age of 89 years.