Dorothy Estermann

An Adventure Called Life Dorothy Estermann

Twenty-two and a World War II widow, Dorothy Estermann resolved to build a new life. It was 1944 and she was working as a secretary for the Commonwealth Edison Company. Joining a tour group that was traveling to Mexico seemed like a good start. It was Dorothy's first trip outside the U. S., and as it would turn out, the beginning of a lifetime of travel and adventure. In the years that followed, Dorothy explored the western U. S., Canada, and the Caribbean. She traveled to New York and revisited Mexico. In 1948, she took the big step of leaving her hometown of Chicago and moving to Los Angeles, California. Then, in 1950, Dorothy accepted a job in Germany with the Army of Occupation. Young and abroad, Dorothy explored Europe on weekends and during vacations. Soon she met a tour guide and married. From then on, travel was a way of life. During their 46 years together, Dorothy and her husband, John, lived mostly in Switzerland, and traveled through Europe, the U. S., Mexico and Asia. Dorothy describes her travels in An Adventure Called Life. It is the story of an independent woman who followed her heart and never looked back; whose adventurous spirit sought and found a rich and full life. This book is memorable not only for the sheer number of places Dorothy visited, but also for her courage-few women of her time would have taken this path and pursued it with such enthusiasm.