Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Blow, Dora Elaine (Fritts) January 2016 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Maureen Cross mcross3454@gmail.com June 16, 2020, 3:10 pm Sentinel Standard DORA ELAINE FRITTS BLOW An Adventurer and Lifelong Caregiver Dora was born Jan. 24, 1941 in Allegan County, Michigan, to mother, Rachel and Clyde Fritts. Dora was the seventh of eight children. Her mother Rachel suffered from cancer and upon her death, Dora was adopted by Ruthella and Wesley Blow in 1944. She was raised on the Blow's dairy farm in Ionia, Michigan, with her brother David. Dora attended a one room country schoolhouse (Benedict) unit graduating from the eighth grade. During this time, she enjoyed playing softball and participating in local 4-H clubs with awards in dairy, food preparation, and stitching. After graduating from the Benedict school she attended Saranac High School and graduated in 1959. While she was in high school, she participated in Glee Club, Nursing Club, and worked on the school newspaper. After high school, Dora took care of her Aunt Lucie, and then enrolled in Grand Rapids Jr College of Nursing and received her LPN degree and started working at the Butterwoth Hospital in Grand Rapids. In 1964, she decided to move to Florida to take care of her grandmother, Flora Longfield and continued until her death at 105 in 19190. During this period, Dora kept very busy with her daytime nursing duties at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Dale City, then Zephyr Haven Nursing home in Zephyrhills and later South Baptist Hospital where she was honored as the employee of the month of February 1997. She earned her RN degree Pasco/Hernando Junior college 1986. During her adolescent years she enjoyed attending the summer Bible school sessions at the LeValley Methodist Church in Ionia, Michigan. In Florida, Dora was a supporting member of the Church of the Living Word, in Zephyrhills, FL. She helped ministries abroad and contributed to the Special Olympics and the USO. Dora loved to travel and went to California in 1964 with her traveling companion, Kay Schmieding. She enjoyed visiting her brother David while he was in Washington, D.C., in 1967 and traveled to Germany to visit him in 1969. One of her great adventures was to Alaska in her van with a small trailer with her friend Isabel Cary in 1991. Dora enjoyed the outdoors and fishing with her dad and brother. One of her favorite pets was a Yorkshire Terrier, Joy who she dreaded in a wedding gown before she became pregnant with her litter of pups, two of which she kept she named Princess and Perky. Later Dora became the caretaker of five local cats that came to her for food and medical attention. Funeral Service will be held Saturday, Jan, 23, 11 a.m. at Lake Funeral Home in Ionia with Pastor Ray Sundell officiating. A donation page has been set up on Dora's behalf at http://www3.parkinson.org/site/TR? Online condolences may be made at www.lakefuneralhomes.com. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/b/blow37137nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 3.4 Kb