I experienced an African American religious service today at the funeral of my friend and co-worker Dorothy Halton. I must say, I was moved by the uplifting and joyous celebration led by the Baptist pastor. He nailed it. It was amazing.
About 60 coworkers arrived by bus to express the love and admiration we all felt for Dorothy. Many retirees who had not talked to her in years were also present. Dorothy cared for all us and never missed a chance to tell us.
My favorite Dorothy story: I was walking into work one morning with my head down and a bad attitude. It is quite common for me to get “bad news” support calls on my drive in. This morning it had been particularly bad. The time was 8:00 AM and I was already thinking about escaping to the park for a cigar. Dorothy stopped me as I walked by her desk and grabbed my forearm. She liked to rub the hair on my arm for some reason; it was her way of saying hi. On this day she did her normal rub, a simple back and forth motion executed with her right hand while her left hand held my mine in a light handshake. She always followed with a smile and the phrase “I love you Joseph, and Jesus loves you too”. However, that day Dorothy did something a little different, she recited a short poem.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
I found out later it was a Wordsworth poem. She told me she had memorized it to lift the spirits of somebody she knew who was down. I guess I qualified as down that day. It sure lifted my spirits. Dorothy was good person. I will miss her.
RIP Dorothy Halton
