Dorothy was born in the St. Francis Hospital of Peoria, Illinois to Earle Woodelle Zinn, Sr., and Arminta Valentine Zinn (nee Pugh) at 1:25 am on July 3rd, 1921, joining her elder brother, Earle Woodelle Zinn Jr. She was initially raised in Illinois until ~ 1930 when her father, an insurance broker, was transferred to Seattle, Washington. Her father passed away in 1939 at the age of 47. Dorothy attended Franklin High School and then matriculated at the University of Washington. She graduated cum laude in 1942 with a BA in Business & Economics, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society. Following her graduation she married G. Wayne Van Winkle, and entered a new chapter in her life.