The Extraordinary Life of Dorothy Fowler
At the Unitarian Society of Hartford, we are gifted with many remarkable members. And, when they die, in our services of remembrance, we look at one another, surprised at the extraordinary person who was among us and what they did during their lives.
Sharing this knowledge is a good thing. Below find some of the service items for Dorothy Fowler, one such person. The text is edited from Rev. Cathy Rion Starr’s service notes
Dorothy Fowler Memorial Service
USH, October 24, 2015, 11 AM
Rev. Cathy Rion Starr
Let this be a time to reflect upon the deeper meanings and purposes of our own lives, and a time to look at the reality of death with openness and honesty.
Let this be a time to remember Dorothy Fowler – mother, wife, sister, leader, artist, traveler, and so much more. Let this be a time to mourn her death. Let this also be a time to celebrate her life with joy and gratitude.
Today we will share stories and memories during this service, and during the reception downstairs afterwards.
By our presence here, we pay tribute to the memory of Dorothy’s life.
Eulogy Rev Cathy
Dorothy June Keiser Fowler was born in 1921 in Detroit, MI to Carl and June Keiser.
She married her high school boyfriend, Bill Shunk, and followed him into the army. Tragically, Bill died in a training crash, leaving a young Dorothy widowed. She became an army photographer and photo tech, and even learned to fly planes in the army! After the war (WWII), Dorothy took advantage of the GI bill to go to UC Berkeley, but found it wasn’t a good fit and came back home to Detroit. There, she met her second husband Irving at Wayne State University. They were married until his death in 1976.
The Fowlers moved from Detroit to Ithaca, NY, where Irving pursued a PhD in sociology. They then moved to Syracuse, where Debbie and Sarah were born, and finally settled in Buffalo, NY. While her husband taught at SUNY Buffalo, Dorothy got her MSW (1958?) and loved her work at the University of Buffalo in the student counseling center, among other jobs. Sarah and Debbie are still in touch with the neighbors who became an extended family there (some of whom are here today).
In 1968, the Fowlers moved to West Hartford. Dorothy worked as a social worker at a hospital, at the unemployment office, and finally at the Red Cross as Director of Disaster services and Service to Military Families (yes, those were 2 large positions in one job!). Debbie tells one story of Dorothy being “on call” for disasters when she went to a fire downtown and found herself consulting with the fire chief in the bathroom! After she retired from the Red Cross, she joined (USH member) Margaret Leicach in management consulting work. She was featured in a Hartford Courant article about seniors going back to work, for she enjoyed the management work and having part time hours.
Dorothy was raised Christian Scientist, but “drew away from it in her first year in college when an excellent history professors destroyed any ability to believe in Christianity as a unique revealed religion” – as she wrote in a letter to UU historian Cynthia Grant Tucker. She became a Unitarian in Buffalo because she was looking for a religious community to raise her children of mixed Protestant/Jewish marriage (her husband was Jewish and not religious). When they moved to West Hartford in 1968, they joined USH and she was an active member for most of her life. She served as the second woman president of this congregation/USH in 1975-78. She participated in many areas of the church, including the Women’s Alliance retreats, serving on the Ministerial Search Committee for Jon Luopa.
“Who can light the room up with her smile?
Who contributes ideas that are always quite worthwhile?
Who chairs a meeting in a most distinctive manner?
Who is a mover, a shaker & a superb planner?
Who can spontaneously weave words
Into a tapestry of color
That appeals to I and Thou
And many, many others.
Of course you know…I’m sure you do
At least I really hope……a
She was one of those who search…and
Brought us Jon Luopa!
That she is a mover and a shaker
In her understated manner
The Unitarian Society of Hartford
Has been most fortunate to have her.”
– from Ruth Holland (who died this past June) on Dorothy’s 80th birthday
Before you leave, take a look at the history boards in our front lobby – these are the result of Dorothy’s research and hard work, as she put it, “to know and celebrate this congregation’s spiritual journey,” – which is what she did throughout her membership here.
Dorothy was a traveller – travelling to Macchu Picchu, Greek Islands and more. Wherever she and her daughter Sarah travelled, they always went to churches and other sites of spiritual seeking. She and her sister Jeannie were close their whole lives. The photo on the front of your order of service is from a trip that Dorothy, Jeannie, Sarah & Debbie took to the Michigan shore in 2006, partly to remember some of their trips there as children.
Dorothy Fowler was an artist throughout her life. She did graphic arts in high school, where she also studied reverse painting on glass. She was a photographer in the army. She sketched, painted, and drew throughout her life. She had shows here at USH and at the WH Public Library.
Dorothy was a strong woman and a feminist before that word was in common use. She was willing to take risks & make changes in her life that weren’t necessarily popular with her family or society at the time. She was always clear about what she wanted and was a working woman for most of her adult life. She was interested in the idea of God or Goddess as female and feminine.
The Dorothy that so many of you knew began to slip away a decade ago as Alzheimers disease began to take over her mind. Dorothy was frustrated when she lost the ability to answer people’s questions and do the things she enjoyed like going for a drive to get lost on purpose (and find her way back).
She found her way, with the help of Debbie who moved in with her, and with so many of your as well as caretakers. After a while, she seemed to make peace with her lost capacities and frequently smiled and laughed with caretakers.
Dorothy was a wine enthusiast, though she stopped drinking as Alzheimers progressed. A few months before she died, one of the supervisors of the caretakers came for a visit. Dorothy was confined to her bed at that point, but the supervisor asked if Dorothy would like a glass of wine and she simply lit up with a big smile, and thoroughly enjoyed that glass of wine!
Dorothy Fowler was an amazing woman. She was wise, gentle, and perceptive. She was intelligent, creative, and funny. She was intrepid, strong, and loving. She will be missed.
So may it be.