Dorothy Eagan, formerly Dorothy Poortinga, passed away the last week of February in Bellingham, Washington, due to complications of ovarian cancer. She had a long ordeal with her cancer. Her remains were cremated in Washington. She was 66.
She was born in Chicago, Illinois and lived in that area for more than 20 years. She moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio, at the end of the 1970s. During her many years in Yellow Springs, Ohio, she was an active part of the community. With master’s degrees in reading specialization and library science, she worked for many years as a first- and second-grade teacher at Mills Lawn Elementary School. She was much loved by many of her students over the years and received numerous awards for teaching the early grades. She was also a founding member of the Feminist Health Fund, a group that helps local women with health care needs. In 2003, Dorothy moved west to Silver City, N.M., to marry her husband, Jerry. Her children also attended Yellow Springs Friends Meeting. Jerry and Dorothy were married in Gila Friends Meeting In Silver City. She enjoyed many hikes in the Gila Mountains, particularly in Apacheria, and joyfully performed with the Mogollon Mountain Dulcimer Group; was a member of a garden club; worked as circulation supervisor at the public library; and loved working in her gardens. A friend said “each of her children are like individual flowers in her garden,” and her garden, as Mother Theresa often said, “was something beautiful for God.” Her garden will continue to bloom in her absence.
She is survived by numerous friends and family, including her husband, Jerry Eagan of Silver City; her sister, Linda Wasielewski of Virginia; her brother, Paul Ginger of Guatemala; and her children, Ann Poortinga of Yellow Springs, Luke Poortinga of Washington and John Poortinga of Los Angeles. She is also survived by Step-Mother Marilyn Ginger, Phoenix and Step-Son Dustin Eagan, Colorado.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Dorothy’s memory may be made to the Feminist Health Fund, P.O. Box 323, Yellow Springs, OH 45387; Gila Regional Medical Center Hospice, Silver City, and Silver City Zen Center. She will be deeply missed, but we who loved her went with … Cards are preferred to calls at this time. We carry her loving memory with us in silence.
A memorial service will be held in her honor, to be announced at a later date, when family and friends can share their memories of Dorothy.