Dorothy Blake
While talking with Dorothy today I came away thinking of numbers! What do I mean by numbers you might ask? Well let me tell you. This year Dorothy has been a Senior Companion for 10 years! Her clients love her. One of her clients sent me a note which said, “Thank you for providing me with Dorothy Blake as my Senior Companion. She is superb in her role and an example of compassion.” Another told Dorothy that she would like to bottle her so she could always keep her close. Dorothy’s clients are lucky to have her.
And speaking about luck, Dorothy’s lucky number is 13! She was born on Friday the 13th in room 13. She met her husband on the 13th and her maiden name starts with the 13th letter of the alphabet. She has other examples of why she feels 13 is her lucky number so if you ever meet Dorothy you will have something to talk about.
60 is the number of years Dorothy has been married to her long-time sweetheart, Leon. Together they have 8 children, 40 grandchildren and just welcomed their 33rd great grandchild! They are lucky enough to have 4 of those children live in the St. George area and they visit their other children frequently.
Dorothy spent the early part of her marriage raising her children. When her youngest was a teen she went to work at a Wayne’s Window Furnishings. She and Leon eventually bought the business and worked there for 11 years. She really enjoyed working there and meeting people. The two of them have also enjoyed serving their church and spent a total of 3 ½ years as missionaries in Washington DC and 17 years serving at the St. George temple.
Traveling has been a fun part of Dorothy’s life. She has been on 3 cruises, traveled to many states, including Hawaii, and has visited South America, Jamaica, and Canada. She loves chocolate (truffles and Hersey with Almonds are 2 of her favorites).
If Dorothy isn’t out serving her 6 lucky ladies you will find her knitting hot pads, most of which she donates to others. She is a wonderful person and a great volunteer. On a scale of 1-10 I would say she is a 10!
Joni Lyman is the AmeriCorps Seniors-Senior Companion Program coordinator for the AAA-Five County. She has spent her career as a volunteer coordinator and takes great pleasure in helping older adults to find their way of getting involved in their community.
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