After Joan Dressen learned her son was gay in the early 1980s, she immediately started looking for resources and support for her child and her family.
Finding none, Dressen and husband, Roger, sprang into action. They were part of a group that started the first Minneapolis chapter of PFLAG, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
In addition to her children Payne, of Victoria, Christian, of Eden Prairie, and Roger Dressen Jr., of Orlando, Fla., Dressen is survived by her husband, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held later, startribune.com reports.
