Dorothy Wilberta Smith (née Krudwig) was born October 3, 1924, in Joplin, Missouri to Dorothy Fern Blankenship and Frank Wilbur Krudwig. Among her family, she went by Dottie Bill to distinguish herself from her mother. She had two younger siblings, Victor and Grace, and an older half-sister Nadine.
When she was about 8 years old, they moved to a farm just outside of town. They raised some animals and her grandparents lived in the back of the house during the Depression.
She attended school in Joplin until she and her family moved to Los Angeles, CA when she was 16. She graduated from Manual Arts High School in L.A., June 1942.
Dottie was a member of Beta Sigma Phi and maintained her membership in that organization for over 70 years. She made many lifelong friends in the sorority, and wherever she moved she became involved in the local chapter. She was also a member of the Red Hats Society in three states she lived in.
After High School, she moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 1945, where she met her future husband, Charles Smith at a Navy dance. Shortly after, they were married at Forest Lawn in Glendale, CA on April 26, 1946. Their sense of humor made them a good match and the marriage lasted 51 years.
Throughout her career, she worked as a secretary and stenographer at a variety of businesses, from banks to shops to legal departments. She was known for her fast and accurate typing which was necessary when typing legal documents that wouldn’t allow for any corrections.
They bought their first home in Reseda and had their son Carter in 1953. Later, they moved to a home in North Hollywood and had two daughters, Cheryl, and Diana. Charles, who was working for IBM, was transferred to St. Louis, Missouri, where the family lived for 2-½ years before heading back to sunny southern California.
Dottie re-entered the work world as a part-time secretary at the YMCA in 1970, then at Crocker Bank before eventually finding her way to Disney Studios in 1975. She worked a couple of years as Secretary to the President of the Walt Disney Music Co., then moved to Corporate Legal where she served as Secretary to Vice President-Counsel for 13 years handling copyright issues, until she retired October 31st, after her 65th birthday in 1989.
Upon retiring, the Disney Newsreel reported she planned to spend her retirement writing, taking classes, traveling, studying Genealogy, spending time with her granddaughter, and if time, participating in volunteer work.
Her Disney years afforded her a group of lifelong girlfriends who over the years, would meet frequently for lunch and take trips, such as for her 80th birthday celebration, to attend The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies.
After retiring from Disney, she and Charles moved to Prescott, AZ, where their son Carter and his wife Debra lived. Their home looked over the city across to the hills and Thumb Butte in the distance, providing many spectacular sunsets.
After the passing of Charles in 1997, she sold her home in AZ and moved to Santa Clarita, California to be closer to Diana, her husband Ron, and their children Laura and Kevin.
Dorothy was a member of the United Methodist Church and enjoyed attending with her daughter’s family while living in Santa Clarita. She participated in the Senior group’s activities and took comfort in reading daily devotionals.
After being back in CA for 12 years, she followed Diana’s family who moved to Southern Oregon. She lived in an apartment building in Grants Pass that provided meals for the independent living residents. Something she was really happy to have. She found new friends there but did miss out on the get-togethers with friends back in California in her Church, Disney, and Sorority groups.
As her needs changed, she and Diana found a new home for her in August 2017, called Holiday House in Grants Pass, where she’d enjoy a high level of care and have her every want or need met.
She faithfully remembered many friends and family members’ birthdays throughout the years with a card in the mail. Dottie’s circle of friends and family had gotten smaller over the years, but she enjoyed family getting together for special occasions and holidays. In 2016 she watched her granddaughter get married, and a couple of years later her Great-granddaughter Adaline came along. Addie was a real joy to her.
Dottie passed away peacefully November 18, 2020, at the age of 96 at home in Grants Pass, OR.
Dorothy will be remembered for her kindness, her love for her children, her fantastic sense of humor, and her love for reading and chocolate.
Dorothy is survived by two of her children, Cheryl Fukuzawa (Randy), and Diana Rae (Ronald), and her two grandchildren, Laura Killgore (Stephen) and Kevin Rae, and great-granddaughter, Adaline Killgore. Dorothy is preceded by her husband, Charles, and their son & daughter-in-law, Carter & Debra Smith (Lipe).
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