Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImageDorothy Mengering, David Letterman's mom and a correspondent on The Late Show With David Letterman, died at home in Indianapolis. She was 95.
Mengering rose to unexpected fame after she appeared on her son's late-night show during the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway (1994), Nagano, Japan (1998) and Salt Lake City, Utah. Fans grew to love her sweet demeanor and Top 10 Lists that she delivered from her kitchen in Indiana.
Before Letterman retired in May 2015, he played a reel of his mother's best moments, including a segment in which she baked with John Mellencamp. She is survived by her children, David, Jan and Gretchen, five grandchildren and her sister, Hazel Baughman.
While she participated on the CBS late night show occasionally, Mengering also served as a secretary for a local church. She authored a cookbook titled Home Cookin' With Dave's Mom and donated $100,000 from sales to a Kiwanis International campaign to wipe out iodine deficiency disorders in third-world countries.
"Dorothy's idea of a good time was being with her family, driving in the country or enjoying a meal together," write her children in an obituary they penned for their mom. "Though she was an extraordinary cook, one of her favorite things to eat was the Greek pizza at Some Guys."
The beautiful obituary ends, "As Dorothy breathed her last, a brilliant red cardinal landed on a branch outside her window, singing his song."
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Letterman family.