Dolores Scherer

Dolores Eleanor Scherer, passed away peacefully at home on September 17th, 2025, at the age of 100. Born April 6, 1925, in Detroit, Michigan, to Elmer and Florence Froehlich, Dolores lived a long and beautiful life defined by devotion to her family, remarkable professional achievements, and a love of learning and creativity.

On May 15, 1943, Dolores married the love of her life, Leonard Scherer, at St. Matthew’s Church in Detroit. Together they raised three children—Barbara, Patrick (Bobbi), and Robert (Rose)—who always remained her proudest accomplishments. She was also a beloved grandmother to Julianne (Murray) Ray, Kimberly Scherer, and David Scherer, and a doting great-grandmother to Jacob, Zander, Olivia, Noah, Abby, Lizzie, Olivia and Preston. She shared a lifelong closeness with her sister, Arlene Hawk, and was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Jerry and Elmer.

Dolores’s career reflected her extraordinary dedication to education and healthcare. She began as a medical assistant before moving into academics, where she became a respected and pioneering educator. At Oakland University and Oakland Community College, she developed and coordinated Michigan’s first Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Technology program—an effort that afforded hundreds of students the opportunity to launch meaningful careers in healthcare. Her students could be found working in hospitals across the state, from Detroit and Ann Arbor to Mt. Clemens and beyond, often remembering her as the mentor who gave them their start. She also authored and co-authored courses in medical ethics, medical assisting, and healthcare management that influenced programs statewide.

Her professional impact was profound. One colleague, and former employer, Dr. J.L. McDougal, praised her commitment, once writing: “You left the world a better place and you made a difference because you cared. Our patients, your students, your family and I are proud of you and everything you’ve worked so hard to accomplish and don’t ever forget it.....You made a difference”

Along with her many accomplishments, Dolores always remained grounded in the things she loved most. She was happiest surrounded by family, tending to her garden, decorating her home, writing, and sewing. She loved canning her famous peach marmalade and bread-and-butter pickles, baking Christmas sugar cookies, and gathering her family around the dinner table. When Thanksgiving brought all of her out of State family together for dinner at her house, she was overjoyed. Her home was always a place of warmth, welcome, and laughter.

Dolores’s life was a blessing, her memory a treasure, and her legacy lives on in the family she cherished and the countless students she guided. She will be remembered for her love, her strength, her creativity, and her unwavering dedication to others.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dolores Scherer, please visit our floral store.