Dorothy A. Black; Retired Real Estate Broker

Dorothy A. Black, a Valley real estate broker for 40 years, has died at a Van Nuys nursing home. She was 91.

A longtime Van Nuys resident, Mrs. Black died Thursday of complications of Parkinson’s disease, her daughter, Rilla Hepworth, said.

Born Dorothy Alstaugh in Earlham, Iowa, she came to California in 1913, graduated from Lincoln High School in Los Angeles in 1917 and later married dentist Merle T. Black. After her husband’s death in 1948, Mrs. Black became a real estate broker and a Realtor. She opened The Property Mart about 1950 and operated real estate offices in the Reseda and Tarzana areas until her retirement in 1989. She was a member of the board of directors of the San Fernando Valley Board of Realtors in the 1960s and belonged to the National Assn. of Realtors. She was also a notary public.

She is survived by her son, James E. Black of Calabasas; daughter, Rilla Hepworth of Van Nuys; sister, Bertha Sherman of Pomona; three grandchildren and one great-grandson.

A funeral was held Saturday with burial at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills. Forest Lawn Mortuary, Hollywood Hills, handled the arrangements. Donations can be made in Mrs. Black’s name to any organization benefiting the homeless.