Obituary
Dorothy Blanche Cooper
May 29, 1926 – March 3, 2022 (age 95)
Dorothy Blanche Cooper (Dumaresq) passed away peacefully at Baillie House in Maple Ridge, B.C. on March 3rd, 2022 at the age of 95. Born in Vancouver in 1926, Dorothy was the first child of Mary and William Dumaresq, and as a tiny baby lived in the cook shack at the family logging camp near Lund, B.C. Growing up during the Great Depression, Dorothy’s childhood experiences included times of great material hardship that instilled in her a sense of appreciation for life’s ordinary pleasures. Dorothy attended Point Grey’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and Lord Byng Secondary School, graduating with the class of 1944 during World War II. After high school Dorothy was employed by the City of Vancouver’s Health Department and later by the Vancouver City Police, taking on secretarial and office duties.
In early 1947, together with her sister Audrey, Dorothy attended a free end-of-term dance session hosted by her Uncle Frank’s ballroom dance studio in downtown Vancouver. One of the dance students, Howard, caught her eye, zeroed in, whirled her on the dance floor, and a match was made! They were engaged on her 21st birthday and married in December of 1947. Between 1949 and 1956 Dorothy and Howard became parents to three children and moved south of the Fraser River to a new suburban development in Richmond. In 1962 Dorothy was hired as a secretary for the Richmond Detachment of the R.C.M.P., a position she maintained until her retirement in 1991. At the Richmond R.C.M.P. Dorothy made many lasting friendships that continued for the rest of her life.
Music and dance highlighted Dorothy’s life. From jitterbug moves at Uncle Frank’s studio to the graceful hula motions of traditional Hawaiian dance, Dorothy could do it all. She became a Hawaiian dance instructor in the 1970s and performed with her troupe at many community events including the Kitsilano Showboat. Dorothy’s «lovely hula hands,» as the song goes, could tell a traditional story and mesmerize all at the same time. On the music scene, Dorothy’s claim to fame intersected with the duties of motherhood. In 1964 at the behest of her three pre-teen youngsters, Dorothy braved the screaming crowds at Vancouver’s Empire Stadium to take all three children to the city’s one-time-only live Beatles concert.
Acting as co-pilot for Howard in his Cessna 172 Dorothy navigated the North American skies. She traversed the continent from Dawson Creek to Death Valley, Calgary to Montreal and New Brunswick, Vancouver to Las Vegas, and Texas to the jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula where she inadvertently ate snake meat that, she recalled, «tasted like chicken.» As well, Dorothy travelled widely outside North America visiting Australia, Tahiti, France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Israel, and her mother’s ancestral home, Castelgrande, Italy.
After her retirement in 1991 Dorothy took an interest in watercolour painting. She attended art classes in Richmond and produced several beautiful works in her characteristically delicate style. Her first, and still considered one of her best, was an interpretation of Claude Monet’s The Bodmer Oak, Fountainebleau Forest.
Dorothy was often described as a genuine lady in reference to her delicate, polite, and gracious demeanor. Naturally with style, Dorothy always arrived dressed for the occasion with colour and with class. To the end, people described her as a sweet and lovely lady.
Baillie House Long Term Care Home in Maple Ridge was Dorothy’s last home, where she was warmly cared for by an excellent staff. The wonderful care aides, nurses, therapists, visitor screeners, and administrators at Baillie House are owed a special thank you from Dorothy and her family, especially for their work during these trying times.
Dorothy is survived by her children Greg (Donita), Susan (Tom), and Janis (Dave); grandchildren, Diana (Israel), Emily, Renee (Trevor), Michael, Donetta (Collin), and Ann-Scarlett; and great-grandchildren, Evan, Lily, Gretl, and Darcy.
Please join the family for a Funeral Mass to be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish, 22561 121st Avenue, Maple Ridge, on Thursday, March 10, 2022 at 12:00 pm. If unable to attend, the Mass will be live streamed at www.youtube.com/c/StPatricksMapleRidgeLiveStream. Prayers for Dorothy will be held at St. Patrick’s the evening before, on Wednesday, March 9th, 2022 at 6:30 pm.
In lieu of flowers, a donation to Covenant House Vancouver in memory of Dorothy, would be dearly appreciated. You can donate in Dorothy’s name here:
secure3.convio.net/chb/site/Donation2?df_id=1942&mfc_pref=T&1942.donation=form1
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Dorothy Cooper May 29 1926 March 3 2022 (age 95)..
Décès pour la Ville: Maple Ridge, Province: Colombie britanique