Replaced timer, thermostat, a thermal fuse, the pair of thermal cutoff switches and finally the heater element. Hard to say what the final fix was that did the trick -- I am guessing it was the heater element although the old one appeared to have good continuity.
All praise goes to the on line chat Pros Erica B and Robin C that took considerable amount of time and effort to help me decipher the problem. For that alone, Appliance Parts Pros will be my go to source for appliance parts for the duration. The videos were also very helpful in giving me the confidence to do this myself. Thanks Matt.