6/07/39 ~ 4/30/03
Dorothy Irene Crofts Britsch, 63, died at home on Wednesday, April 30, of cancer.
Dorothy was born June 7, 1939, in Seattle, Washington, to Hyrum and Alicia Dansie Crofts. After spending parts of her childhood in Portland, Oregon; Henderson, Nevada; and San Francisco, California, she moved with her family to Menlo Park, California, and graduated later from Menlo- Atherton High School.
Dorothy spent her Freshman year of college at San Jose State University and then transferred to Brigham Young University. At BYU she was very active in student affairs, serving in various government positions and in the Homecoming royalty. She graduated with a B.S. degree in business in May, 1961. She returned to BYU the next fall to take classes in the arts and humanitiessubjects that would occupy much of her interest for the remainder of her life. During that year she became engaged to Todd A. Britsch.
Dorothy and Todd were married in the Bern, Switzerland, L.D.S. Temple on March 12, 1963. After graduate school in Florida, they moved to Provo in 1966, when Todd joined the BYU faculty. They are the parents of two children, Julie and Daniel. Dorothy also had the joy of providing devoted care for her three grandchildren for several years.
One of Dorothy's great passions was traveling. She visited Asia twice and returned from her first trip to Peru in February of this year. But she especially loved Europe, and she had many trips there, including four six-month experiences in London with the BYU Study Abroad program. She was the financial manager for the last two programs, and she used her management skills to help provide the students with unusually rich experiences. She loved museums, cathedrals, concert and opera halls, and she was endowed with a keen sense of history. She was able to be a model of culture and refinement to many students.
Dorothy was a wonderful supporter of Brigham Young University. She went to lectures, concerts, athletic events, plays, art exhibits, and International Cinema with unmatched enthusiasm. Some of her greatest frustrations came when two events were scheduled at the same time, making attendance at both impossible.
Dorothy was a skillful and devoted Church member. She served in a variety of ward positions, including Primary president. She also served twice on the BYU campus as YWMIA president in the BYU Fourth Stake and as Relief Society president in the BYU Eleventh Stake. Her influence was widely felt.
Dorothy is survived by her husband, Todd, and her daughter, Julie (Jason) Hartup, and Julie's children Chase, Jennifer, and Paige, all of Provo; she is also survived by three sisters: Beverly (David) Fuhriman of Moraga, California; Shirley (James) Monroe of Martinez, California; and Marcia (Jerry) McClain of Salt Lake City. In addition, she is survived by her mother-in-law, Florence Britsch, of Provo, Todd's brothers and sisters and their spouses, and by many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her son Dan.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, May 5, in the Edgemont Second Ward Chapel, 555 East 3230 North, Provo. Friends may call Sunday, May 4, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Berg Mortuary, 185 East Center Street, Provo, and at the chapel one hour prior to the services. Interment will be at East Lawn Memorial Hills Cemetery in Provo.