ANDERSON, Dorothy

ANDERSON, Dorothy

Dorothy Anderson (Dottie / Dot), 90, of Huber Heights, passed peacefully Sep 11, 2020. Daughter of Elizabeth (Weaver) and Jack Dunwoodie, younger sister of Jean. Born in Kansas City, MO, her family settled in the Dayton area and she attended Bath (Fairborn) schools ('48). Dottie met Eugene (Gene)

Anderson (Fairborn '44) after his WW2 service, married in Dec 1950, and had two sons, Matt and Bill. Dot was a housewife, mother and supporter of the family, as well as helping Gene with the family business. They bought a home in 1959 in Wayne Twp and began, with the boys, decades-long rebuilding and construction: gutting rooms, building additions, and pouring many yards of concrete. Dot wasn't just a designer and organizer but also a worker, carpenter, gravel shoveler , concrete form builder, all while being a mother. Dot and Gene faced a choice in 1972: leave their dream home and

follow Gene's work to another state or leave the corporate world. They chose the latter, restarting their appliance repair business, and changing it in 1977 to a Fairborn appliance parts store. True partners in these businesses, Dot shouldered as much as Gene. Always active, Dot and Gene didn't really retire when they sold the store, diving into more DIY home rebuild and repair projects that she continued even after his 2016 passing. Dottie was a member of Fairborn First Presbyterian Church in her youth and she and Gene were married there, later becoming active members of the nearby Sulphur Grove United Methodist Church, and still later returned to First Presbyterian, serving the Church for the rest of their lives. This snapshot of Mom's life is short but she was so much more, a dynamo Renaissance woman. A naturally-gifted musician particularly moved by the organ, she excelled at pipe organ lessons in the late '40's, even though she had no way to practice between lessons! She added a large organ and a piano to our home and was organist for a number of churches until just a few years before her passing. But she was so much more. Mom was an artist, painting, sculpting and finding beauty in items overlooked and cast aside by others, such as rocks, shells, feathers and driftwood. She carefully restored and refinished antique furniture and cabinets, scraping away layers of paint and grime, making new wood pieces, refinishing, and caning and upholstering seats. She hand-finished all the beautiful wood trim in our home. Mom was an excellent seamstress who quickly and effortlessly made many stunning pieces for herself and our family. A prodigious photographer for 70 years, she had darkroom gear and later dove headlong into digital imagery. Mom was a computer whiz, bought new hardware, and would scour the internet in her searches. She was a voracious reader and doer of new things: she learned to tan deer hides and to blacksmith and had the needed tools for both. Mom was an excellent cook, able to take a few ingredients and turn them into all kinds of meals and desserts. She was a lifelong lover of nature and animals, especially dogs cast away by others. Mom was fiercely independent, cut firewood even in her last years and drove her beloved stick-shift Escort until just weeks before she passed. Mom was mechanically-gifted, tools were always close by; even at 88 she replaced her tractor's starter and sharpened its blades, using a hydraulic jack, air impact wrench and grinder. She was a DIY carpenter, electrician, and plumber! She was always Mom, giving of herself, always glad to see us, and appreciative of life. Mom was predeceased by Gene, her parents, and her sister and brother-in-law, Jean and Doug Hanneman. She is survived by sons Matt (Jo) and Bill (Peggy), and grandchildren Leah, Jodie and Kevin. Also surviving are Jean and Doug's children and many friends, with special callouts to niece Sharon,

Charlene "Ten Gun Tex" LaCroix (foil to Mom's "Water Pistol Willy"), the many members of the Burrowes family, and to her First Presbyterian family. Arrangements were by Marker and Heller Funeral Home, Huber Heights with private services. We family chose to delay this announcement while attending to her affairs and appreciate the privacy afforded us. Mom

requested memorials on behalf of Fairborn First Presbyterian Church and Humane Society of Greater Dayton.

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