Dorothy Elizabeth Prichard

Dorothy (Dort) passed away peacefully in her daughter and son-in-law's (Mike Scholly) home on May 28, at age 86. She was born to Leslie and Fannie Sullivan in Chattanooga, TN. She grew up in Kalamazoo, and on Long Lake in Portage, where she and her sister, Betty, enjoyed the lake. Dorothy loved swimming and rowing the boat around, particularly rowing the boat away to abandon her skinny-dipping friends. A pretty, perky teenager, Dorothy played sports and had fun with friends at Portage Central High School, where she was a cheerleader. One day in her mid-sixties, she was in the backyard alone when her spunk inspired her to perform one of her legendary cheerleading cartwheels. Well, enough about that. Dorothy married her high school sweetheart, Thomas (Tom) Prichard, (passed away in August) in 1951. They were together for sixty-eight years, and kissed each other and said "I love you" every day. In 1958 they adopted Mark, and moved into their home on Westnedge. They adopted Susan in 1960. She was a wonderful mom! Lots of hugs, laughter (she was smart and quick-witted), home-cooked suppers (5:30), holiday decorations (biggest Christmas trees in the neighborhood), and much more. In the mid 1960s-mid 1970s, Dorothy was the cool cafeteria lady at Portage Central Elementary. The kids, teachers, principal, custodians, school superintendent etc. were all friends who enjoyed her sunny personality, kitchen decorations, and Halloween costumes. The food service administrators repeatedly asked her to work as a supervisor. Her response was, "Heck, no. I want to be with the school kids!" Dorothy and Tom were two of the founding members of the First Baptist Church of Portage where she was involved in many areas, including working on the finance committee, leading Sunday School and the Youth Group, and planting flowers. She loved the Lord. In her later years, when she could no longer read, she listened to her audio Bible. Dorothy was adventurous and loved traveling. She, Tom, Mark, and Susan took many trips to Florida and California. She especially loved the beaches –sunning and shelling in Florida, and boogie boarding with her sister in California. She enjoyed visiting family and friends all over the country. Dorothy loved animals, especially cats! She had many through the years, and her favorite was the cleverest, Noah. She also enjoyed wildlife, including the backyard birds and squirrels (when the cats weren't outside). She also had fun playing bingo with friends, going to Las Vegas with Tom, and chatting with neighborhood friends. She was a fabulous grandma. Gram enjoyed taking her grandkids shopping: Nicole, Anna, Kara, Sarah, Molly and Patrick. Quite a brave feat! Her advice to them: "Always stay close to your siblings." Family members Barb and Rich Murphy remember her saying as they were all getting back in the car: "Drive carefully, you have precious cargo in the car!" She liked watching the Fourth of July fireworks with the family, and watching the grandkids perform "shows". Other family members include brother-in-law Bruce Stonerock, nieces Linda and Judy, nephew Sam, brother-in-law Bob Prichard, sister-in-law Melba, cousin Barbara Hogg, godchildren: Mary Beth, Michael and Melissa, and cousin John (Judy) Deanes. Because of social distancing rules, the family was not able to fully honor Dorothy with the planned funeral, only a small graveside gathering. She is buried next to Thomas in South Portage Cemetery. Donations can be sent to the animal rescue of your choice. Please visit Dorothy's personalized online guestbook at https://www.langelands.com