FAREWELL DOROTHEA

 I checked the obituaries today to find that a little tiny lady I cared so much about was gone. Dorothea Hatch Christensen left this world to join the husband she missed so much. The article told a little of her history and family but didn’t say much about who Dorothea was.

About two weeks ago, I was contacted by her current caregiver that Dorothea was in Tendercare, was unable to speak, could barely move and her time on earth was coming to a close. I had a chance to see her over the Thanksgiving holiday, but it was heartbreaking to see her so thin, frail and distant. I happened to come along at just the right time and was able to feed her lunch in the dining room. I wasn’t sure if she recognized me but halfway through our visit, she turned to me and gave me that soft, sweet smile. The upturned lips, the tilt of her head and her eyes looking directly into mine told me that she knew I was there. 

We had a history, albeit short. I was her caregiver for a little over a year but during that year we became close. Even though she was well into her 90’s when we first met, she was every bit as bright and intelligent as her education and experiences made her. 

Dorothea often talked of Sayner, Wisconsin where she grew up and eventually met the man who would become her husband, John Christensen. She talked often about her beloved husband…their first date, their first kiss and the day he asked her to marry him. 

She wanted to go back to Sayner because it had been many years since her last visit, but she had no means to get there under her own steam. So off we went on a four-day jaunt to Sayner Resort….no phones, no T.V. and no internet…just a very unique resort on a peaceful lake. I had a map with the route traced for the six hour trip, but we didn’t need it because she knew every inch of the way from memory.  She told me that the Sayner family were competitive with the Hatch family because both families were business owners and because the Sayner’s felt they owned the town since it was named after them. She also said that some of the people of Sayner looked down on them because the Hatch’s were Indian. She wanted to go back to show the people of Sayner that her family had been successful regardless of the bias towards Native Americans. Dorothea was very proud of her father, Fred Hatch, Sr. for beginning the process of federal recognition for the Sault Tribe. Her brother, Fred Hatch, Jr., carried on when her father no longer could.

Dorothea was a scaredy-cat and always afraid that someone would drop her or that she would fall, but all of her caregivers were very careful with her fragile body that was beaten down from years of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. A friend of Dorothea’s, an attorney from Madison, Wisconsin made the trip northward to visit with her while in Sayner. After a couple of Martini’s at a restaurant in a nearby town, she lost her fears and wanted to go for a spin around the parking lot. With her arms waving wildly and her laughter bringing smiles to the faces of all who witnessed, we ran her about the parking lot, spinning her chair while she gleefully yelled out “Wheeee!” When it was time to return to the Sault, Dorothea was happy and satisfied that her trip ‘home’ was well worth the wait. She had fun and was able to see her childhood home although the store her father owned was gone...mysteriously burned to the ground.

Dorothea told me of the time she applied for a teaching job in American Samoa. She neglected to tell her husband that she had applied for a teaching position there until she was notified that she was indeed hired. They simply packed up and left their home to experience a way of life that most of us will never know. Most people would never dream to make such a move but there was little that Dorothea feared. They did have their refrigerator shipped because that was the ultimate luxury in Samoa and she was concerned about being without proper food storage. 

Dorothea was a giver…literally. She had a history of giving away her possessions because the things she held dearest were her memories and the photographs of her husband, parents and  brother, whom she hoped to join one day. She is with them now and I’m sure she is in the embrace of her beloved husband. Farewell dear lady Dorothea. You will be missed.

Lynne Weaver