When I moved onto Overlake I aquired a new neighbor, Dorothy Lepine. Over 10 years,we became friends of a sort.When I describe her I say "she is one of God's "simple creatures". I don't think I've ever known someone so trusting. A true example of "blind faith".
Her work involved getting dis-honorable dischares reversed. Her usual clients were gay men from the Vietnam war. Her success rate-60%.
She was a great neighbor! When my Mom was mobile, she came and heated her supper. They visited and Dorothy told me that they laughed. She minded Millie when I was away on vacations. She took my returnable bottles back to the store. She was faithful in "little things".
She had breat cancer 8 years ago and never said anything to me about it. Very private. She had a deep devotion to the blessed Mother. She went to nursing homes to pray the rosary with the residents. She had life-long friends, Margaret and June.
One Sunday, when I got home from work, June was in the driveway. Unable to reach Dorothy for 3 days, she called the police. They came and found her. She'd fallen and was unable to aright herself. She was dehydrated and mildly confused.Once home from the hospital, I began to pay better attention to her comings and goings.
Early this year it became apparent to me that she was failing. She got an emergency call button after the above fall. She used it and then we got her a daily caregiver. The falls increased and then we had 24 hr. in house care for her. In the begining this was hard for her. She was a private person. Vickie Colley became her friend. She trusted her implicity.
In the end, cancer returned. This time it was in her liver. I took care of her on memorial day weekend. She needed to be in the hospital. She asked her neice, Carolyn, to come. Come she did from san miguel, mexico with her partner Norma. Dorothy came home on 6/7/11. I saw her that afternoon when I returned from being with Mom. Early the next morning Caro;yn called. Dorothy had died in her sleep. She was with my Mom,in heaven.
I got to know her neices and Norma as they cleared out her home and completed all the papers that go woth a demise. They offered me Dorothy's condo. "pay in a year". I agreed.
Dorothy is gone from my sight but not from my mind. I still refer to her condo as Dprothy's place. For mr it will always be hers. She was a wonderful neighbor. I miss her
