Dorothy Lee Erwin

All who knew Dorothy Erwin would agree that there was rarely a dull moment when she was around. She was vibrant and fun-loving with a zest for life that was truly contagious. With faith as a cornerstone in her life after being baptized, Dorothy exemplified what it means to be the hands and feet of the Lord she loved. Deeply devoted to her family, there was nothing she savored more than spending time with the loved ones who made her so very proud. With her kind, gentle, and genuine spirit, she was like a mom or grandma to those too numerous to count. A friend of Dorothy’s was a friend for life, and she was the sort of person who never met a stranger. Deeply loved, she will be forever missed.

It was great to be an American during the 1920s. Innovation was leading the way to new technologies like radios, washing machines, and refrigerators while cars became more affordable for the average family as they were being widely mass produced on assembly lines. Amidst this exciting time was a time of great joy in the lives of Lawson Kit and Gertrude Louise (Holly) Beeler as they were blessed with the birth of the baby girl they named Dorothy Lee on January 15, 1928, in Humansville, Missouri. Her father was a farmer there, and as children Dorothy and her seven siblings, William, Anna Mae, Lorain, Walter, Shirley Ann, James, and Kim, also helped with their fair share of farm chores. As a result, there was little time to play. Dorothy was responsible for a horse and cow. Sadly, her horse was struck by lightening, so at times she rode her cow. In the early forties, Dorothy’s father spent some time working for the welfare department, handing out food and clothing. The Beeler family moved to Jericho Springs, Missouri, and then to Boulder City, Nevada, when her father went to work on the Boulder Dam. Although he had been there for a while on his own, he moved his family there after a time. When Dorothy was born her mother was a homemaker who took care of the cooking and cleaning and made her children clothes, but later on she took a job as a maid at the Boulder City Hotel.

In many ways, Dorothy was a young girl of her generation. She attended local schools, and in high school she played varsity basketball. This was something Dorothy always spoke so fondly of. She attended every high school football game and loved all types of sports. This love for sports stayed with her throughout her entire life. She was the first in her family to complete high school, and she graduated from Western Union Secretarial Training.

New and exciting changes were in store for Dorothy when she met William Marchand. They met when she and two girlfriends rented a room from his mother. They began dating and were later married. Together they were blessed with the births of three children, Patricia, Johnny, and Cindy. With a husband who served in the Air Force, they moved to Japan when Bill was stationed there from August of 1959 through January of 1963. This was an exciting time when the family took trips all over Japan, learning about the local culture. After being married for more than 20 years, Dorothy and Bill divorced in the mid-sixties. Her oldest daughter was married at the time, but she raised her son and youngest daughter as a single mother on her own. At times Dorothy worked two jobs just to make ends meet. Over the years she worked as a waitress, secretary, bookkeeper, and officer manager.

Life was forever changed for Dorothy when she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior in January of 1977. Although she was afraid of water, she asked Cindy to be baptized again so they could do it together, which made it easier for Dorothy. She was a longtime member of Church of the Cornerstone in Auburn. Dorothy’s favorite book was the Bible, and she enjoyed classic hymns like “The Old Rugged Cross,” “In the Garden,” and “How Great Thou Art.”

Throughout her life Dorothy was a sports fanatic. She and her daughter, Cindy, held season seats to the California Angels for more than 25 years as well as season tickets to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for more than 10 years. Dorothy got to know all of the Angel players during the 25 years and even made them German Chocolate cakes from scratch for their birthdays.

When baseball Hall of Famer, Nolan Ryan, was still with the Angels she got to know him and his wife, Ruth, very well. Dorothy received Christmas cards from them every year since. In fact, she was known by all the Angel ballplayers as “Mom," the Mighty Ducks all called her “Grandma.” These were honorary roles that Dorothy was so proud to fill. Actually, she was like a second mom to quite a few people in her lifetime.

There were so many other things that Dorothy did to keep busy. She loved to knit, crochet, embroider, and do counted cross-stitch. Dorothy rarely kept anything she made as she loved to gift people with her hand crafts. She regularly knitted sweaters for family and friends, crocheted afghans, embroidered pillow cases and dresser scarves as gifts to numerous family members and friends. Dorothy also crocheted baby afghans for the Angel baseball players and also for the Mighty Duck players’ babies as well as for family and friends. She wasn’t one for watching shows on television too often, but she did enjoy playing along on Jeopardy. However, Dorothy did love watching sports! With a deep love for dogs, Dorothy was deeply saddened with the death of her treasured companion, Peppi. Luckily, her heart was full again when Pooh Bear was adopted. He came to her house for the day every day, and Dorothy loved spoiling him with treats.

When reflecting on the life of Dorothy Erwin, words such as spunky, sweet, and kind come to mind, but perhaps the word that paints the most accurate picture of her is the word selfless. She was a devoted Christian who was always giving without expecting anything in return, blessing so many others throughout her life. Very creative and gifted, Dorothy loved using her talents to give others handmade items that were made with such love. She did enjoy teasing and always had the cutest little grin and sparkle in her eye that would let others know she was only teasing. Life will never be the same without Dorothy here, but she leaves behind a priceless collection of memories that her loved ones will forever treasure.

Dorothy Lee Erwin, of Auburn, died Wednesday February 1, 2017, at DeKalb Health hospital in Auburn. Dorothy’s family includes her children, Patricia (Larry) Ritter of Acworth, Georgia, Johnny Marchand of Wills Point, Texas, and Cindy (Dean) Woolard of Auburn; grandchildren, Keith (Shannon) Ritter, Kathy (Mark Mulligan) Camp, Christina (Josh) Leikam, Samuel (Olya) Marchand and Jeremy (Nichole) Marchand; and great-grandchildren, Ryan Camp, Dylan Camp, Billy Ritter, Tommy Ritter, Johnny Ritter, Jakob Leikam, Madison Leikam and Benjamin Leikam; sisters, Lorain Axup and Kim Beeler. Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, Lawson and Gertrude Beeler; sister, Anna Mae Ritter; and brothers, William Beeler, Walter Beeler and James Beeler. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday with visitation one hour prior at Pinnington Funeral & Cremation Services 502 N. Main Street, Auburn. Rev. Dean Woolard will be officiating. Visitation will also be held on Tuesday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to Church of the Cornerstone. To sign the online guest book, or to read a life story of Dorothy, visit www.pinningtonfh.com.