'Linen Lady' Dorothy Lampke Dies

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 9/4/2006 12:00:00 AM

Palm Springs, Calif. — —

Palm Springs, Calif. — Dorothy Simon Lampke, longtime owner of The Linen Man, died last month at the age of 91.

Lampke, who passed away Aug. 10, founded the bed and bath specialty store with her husband, Berry Locke Lampke, in 1978 in Cathedral City. The business relocated to Rancho Mirage in 1982 and remained there until 1997, when it moved to Palm Desert — all locations in the Palm Springs area.

In 1988, the couple was recognized with a Certificate of Appreciation plaque by the Western Linen and Domestics Association. Mr. Lampke died in 2000.

Lampke was known to her customers as “The Linen Lady,” according to daughter Geraldine Bass, who now owns the store. “Mother epitomized the small-business owner who cared for her customers and who was loved by them,” she explained.

In addition to her daughter, Lampke is survived by her son, Jeffrey Lampke of Hemet, her grandson Leigh Bass, Esq., and his wife Karina of Mamaroneck, N.Y., and their children, Ariela and Joshua. Donations in her memory may be made to the Friends of the Rancho Mirage Public Library, 71100 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, or a charity of one's choice.