Dorothy Tonkens

November 12, 1922 - February 18, 2014

Dorothy Tonkens, age 91, of Leawood, Kansas passed away Tuesday, February 18, 2014. She was born November 12, 1922, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Jacob and Sophie Rotman. She was married to Dr. Robert Tonkens, a highly respected and loved pediatrician, from 1947 until his untimely death in 1984 in an accident. Dorothy graduated from Central High School and Kansas City Jr. College in her youth and ultimately earned her bachelors degree from Avila University in Business and Psychology when she turned 60. She had a great love of learning and adventure and traveled extensively throughout the world during her lifetime. She was a member of Congregation Beth Shalom and its Sisterhood, Hadassah, the National Council of Jewish Women, as well as Friends of Brandeis University. In addition to her loving husband of 37 years, Dr. Robert Tonkens, Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents Jacob and Sophie Rotman, and by both her brothers, Max and Frank Rotman. She is survived by her son, Ross Tonkens, MD, Candace, his wife of 17 years, their sons, Richard and Ryan, and their granddaughter, Anabel. Dr. Ross Tonkens is a cardiologist who leads the American Heart Association’s Science and Technology Accelerator division, a program aimed at propelling game changing innovations rapidly from bench to bedside in order to decrease death from heart attack and stroke by 20% by the year 2020. Graveside services will be held at 1:30pm Thursday, February 20, at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, 5529 Ditzler Avenue, Raytown, Missouri. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in Dorothy’s Memory to the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City, 5801 West 115th Street, Suite 104, Overland Park, Kansas 66211, or to AHA’s Science & Technology Accelerator program (my.americanheart.org/accelerator). Email: [email protected]