Dorothy Cairns passed away peacefully on February 7, 2026, in Spring Hill, Tennessee, at the age of 88. She was a wonderful sister, wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Dorothy had strong faith and heart for serving the Lord. When asked the 2 most important things in her life, she answered religion and family.

Dorothy was born June 18, 1937, along with her twin sister, in Owasso, Michigan, to George and Oveta Koan. They were the first set of identical twins born at the Owasso Hospital. She came from a loving family that was strong in faith which helped shape the person she became.

She grew up in Holly, Michigan, and she often talked about her experiences on the farm and at the gravel business the family operated.

Dorothy attended Central Michigan University and received her BA in Education and Geography in 1958. She met Ken Cairns through her church, when she was a teacher for Kearsley and Holly Schools. They were married on December 17, 1960 in Holly, Michigan. Dorothy then graduated from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan in 1962 with an MA in Guidance and Counseling.

On May 11, 1963 Dorothy and Ken were appointed by the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society to serve as educational missionaries in Congo, Africa.  In 1963-1964 she did a year of language study in Belgium, with Ken, to learn French.  From 1964 – 1973 she and Ken served as missionaries in Africa.  Her first year in Congo was spent teaching at the American School of Kinshasa as a 6^th grade teacher. The following year she was a house parent at the American Baptist Youth Hostel to 30 children who were attending the American School while their parents served as missionaries.  She helped create a home away from home for these boys and girls (children of missionaries who served elsewhere in Congo).  Dorothy also assisted with the women’s work and helped the American School with its guidance program.

The family then moved to Nsona Mpangu and Dorothy taught English, Math, and Home Economics in African Secondary Schools. Along with this she taught sewing to the African women, which was an important skill for them.

In 1973, Dorothy and Ken resigned from service with ABFMS and moved to Deland, Florida. She worked for Volusia County Schools as a Counselor. In 1975 she moved back to Michigan and worked as a case worker for Genessee County Community Mental Health.   Durning this time she designed and created stained glass windows for the First Baptist Church of Holly Michigan. She said they “were constructed in the hope and with the prayer that we might think of ourselves as windows, letting God’s love shine through us”.

Dorothy moved back to Deland Florinda around 1994, where she enjoyed her retirement with church, travel, visiting with family and friends, and doing the many crafts that she became proficient at. In 2017 she moved to Spring Hill, Tennessee, to be near family after the passing of her loving husband Kenneth Thomas Cairns. She had a wonderful relationship with the children in her neighborhood; they would often stop by to get a treat and see her. She would often tell them to do or say something nice to their parents.

Dorothy is survived by many family members, Carolee Cairns, Thomas & Jeanne Cairns, Joseph & Delaine Furden, 5 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild.  Dorothy was a devoted servant of her Lord and Savior, and always said she had a “Blessed Life”.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at the First Baptist Church of Holly, Michigan on May 23, 2026 at 1:00 PM. There will be a meal afterwards in the gymnasium.

First Baptist Church of Holly, Michigan
15030 N Holly Rd
Holly, MI 48442-1100