Dorothy, A Life Remembered
If you have a story that you would like to share,
please send it to us via our "contact" page or comment in the section below.
Please provide any or all of the following:
career highlights, service, recognition, awards
brief history of family, early life, schooling,
memories and quotes
photos (JPEG)
Hidden Candy in a Cup
a recollection by Brian Cummins, son
With five children in the family, Mom and Dad were always working hard. In the evenings, Mom would sometimes settle into her favorite chair with a Reader's Digest in one hand and a mug of tea in the other. Years went by and I don't recall specifically how we found her out, but for all those years, most of the time that mug was filled with candy. M&Ms, candy coated almonds, and all sorts of goodies. About the time we discovered this, my older brothers Jim and Eddie and I were taller and able to reach the top shelves of our kitchen cabinets. This is where we also found her hidden stash of treats.
Throughout her life, we teased her about her candy in a cup. We also inherited, for sometime, her love of sweets and indulged her sweet-tooth. We all have our vices, hidden secrets and weaknesses, and Mom's were sweet.
[My Mother loved sweets. Actually our brother Joseph just placed an online order for a bunch of sweets this past week when we initially found out our Mom was not feeling well.]
The Trio
a recollection by Megan Tracey, grandniece
Aunt Dorothy, Aunt Patsy, and my Grandma Betty are the funniest trio when you put them together in a room. I remember when I was younger my grandma couldn’t drive to my school for grandparents day so Aunt Patsy and Aunt Dorothy brought her. My classmates thought I had 3 grandmothers! Fast forward to about 2 years ago, I lived with my grandma and Aunt Patsy and Aunt Dorothy would come over and visit every night right before 7pm. Once it hit 7pm they had to go catch their TV show. Aunt Dorothy will be very missed. She could always make me laugh.
Egg Cheese
a recollection by Tatum Cummins, granddaughter
Ever since I was a little girl, going to Grandma Dorothy’s house for any holiday was the highlight of the month. I loved playing Mario in the basement with my cousins, playing in the back yard, and eating all the food with my family. I remember on Easters, Grandma would make this weird cheese with cloth and she would strain out water, and I always remembered hating it for no reason. I never tried it, but now I wish I did! I will never forget Grandma’s egg cheese, and I hope that someone in our family still has that recipe, because this Easter, I will not only miss grandma and all of the memories she created for me and my family, but the smell of that cheese! I love you Grandma Dorothy, and I hope you watch over us in everyday life, and continue to join us for holiday gatherings. I love you.
Slovak Egg Cheese (Hrutka) was a tradition of the Ferko Family and has occasionally been carried on with more or less success. At its simplest, the recipe calls for 12 eggs, 4 cups of milk, and a slash of salt, and can be found here.
Partners in Crime
a recollection by Brenda Barr, niece
I think Aunt Dorothy had a wicked sense of humor along with my mother, Janet. I think they were co-conspirators in crime, who loved laughing at other peoples’ expense, of course, totally out of love.
Her laughter and her smile were infectious! We will all truly miss her at our family get togethers.
An Amazing Influence
a recollection by Nancy Cornett, friend
Going to Cass High School (Cartersville, Georgia) with Julie as my best friend, was ‘bested’ by Ms. Cummins. She was my ‘Mom’ and was so special to me. She always had Fudgesickles waiting for me as well as this strange northern food -- of which the stuffed green pepper became a favorite. I loved going to church with her and Julie, and watching Ms. Cummins serve. She was an amazing influence to a sometimes lost teenager. She took me places and helped me when no one else would. Julie brought me to her home and she welcomed me with wide open arms. She was my family. I love her dearly and deeply. So generous and kind. I am so so sad to hear this news. To Julie and your brothers, my deepest sympathy and love to you.
Nancy Cornett
Strong Welcoming Spirit
a recollection by Diana Rowley, niece
Whenever I think of Aunt Dorothy throughout my life, I can’t help but remember her strong, booming voice and her spirit of welcoming! When she entered the room, you knew she was present as she greeted everyone in her path with a smile, a hug or to reach for your hands. The picture Brenda posted of her interaction with my mother (who suffers from Alzheimer’s) shows her welcoming spirit. Even as the stages of dementia continued to alter her interactions with others, she still had her gift of welcoming.
Another element of Aunt Dorothy that lives on in many of her children is her rambunctious laugh! It comes from a deep place in her heart and it makes everyone around her smile and feel loved and present. I continue to find this sense of love and peace when Jimmy and Joseph laugh, whether I am part of the conversation or am across the room or gymnasium!...you all know what I mean! Love my Cummins family!
Dorothy Cummins and Sister-in-law Janet Barr
Gratitude and remembrance
a reflection by Brian Cummins, son
May God bless my mother Dorothy Mae Cummins and may her kind and gentle soul rest in peace. My mother died of COVID-19 disease, caused by the coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. Her death came in what now seems like a very chaotic and challenging time. At once I find myself thinking globally of the massive impact the pandemic is having. Of my family more than 5,000 miles away but then again, of the need to get outside, take a hike and feel fortunate to live in a City and country (Tbilisi, Georgia) that has fared relatively well in trying to minimize the spread of the virus. I feel anxious about what my family is going through in the USA.
Blessed and fortunate am I. To be able to cope with the pandemic with my eldest of two daughters Addy, in relative comfort without too great of hardship. To know my immediate family and especially my wife Gayle and youngest daughter Tatum are safe and healthy and to be able to communicate with them via videoconference daily. To have the support of the caring Peace Corps staff I work with here in Georgia, in Washington D.C. and throughout the world.
I think of death often. I had a roommate in college that took his own life. Ever since that time, I have always cherished life and understood how quickly and surprising it could end. The last time I saw my Mom was in January. She had always been a very energetic, restless person. But, the last few years her energy began to fade, or at least uncertainty and confusion began slowing her down, with an ever increasing deterioration of her mental state. Up until her death she maintained a semblance of her quick wit and stubbornness but it has been challenging losing her slowly through a progressing dementia.
Mom was part of the Silent Generation or Traditionalist, born in 1934. My Father Jim, who survives her and who lives in Cartersville Georgia (the US State) served in the Korean War. Mom and Dad had five children. Their generation bridged the Greatest Generation before them - heroes of WWII and the Baby Boomers - restless counter-culture that they spawned. She loved being of service, helping people and worked hard to balance raising five children with the challenges of economic uncertainty that comes with a family run business - and that ensued in the late 1970's. We are fortunate that Mom and Dad both came from loving families that til this day provide great support and solace in their communications and regular times of planned gatherings throughout each year.
The thing I’ll remember most about my Mom is her enduring spirit. She faced challenges throughout her life that included being uprooted from the Cleveland area to Georgia (the US State) and ultimately divorce. During this time she found great purpose and joy in helping and working at the local Catholic Church - Saint Francis Assisi in Cartersville. She eventually made her way back to the Cleveland area where she was able to enjoy watching and helping her seven grandchildren grow up. She could be hard on herself, but always found ways to care for others and to be in service to her community members.
Gayle, Tatum, Brian, Addy and Dorothy Cummins
Some of my best memories include the times when our family was involved in activities with relatives or friends and in the mundane flow of daily life. Picking raspberries, canning pickles, helping her clean the house to get ready for her card party or steak roast, having a glass of lemonade with her while taking a break cutting the lawn. Attending church on Sundays and having Grandma Helen or Florence over for Sunday lunch. Or, seeing her at our grade school and feeling a little embarrassed but proud that she was serving me and my classmates lunch. She came from a traditional family of Slovak roots. Most of our holiday meals growing up were held at either Grandma Helen’s house with the Ferko clan, or at one of my Aunts and Uncles on our Cummins side of the family. I feel lucky and proud to be a part of both and feel a sense of responsibility to carry on as our parents and grandparents have.
Although we are faced with our own set of challenges within our own generations, the legacy and memories I have of my Mom will live within me forever and I will continue to try to pass them on to my own children and the generation yet to come. We were brought up in the Roman Catholic faith and were taught to live by the 'Universal Golden Rule', that we should treat others as we, ourselves, would wish to be treated. Over the past 10-20 years, that rule has evolved to the 'Platinum Rule' that states do unto others as they would have you do unto them.
It takes work to adapt and change with the times, and to trudge through the challenges of life. But, as my Mother taught us if you invest your time in others you will find satisfaction and joy. Sometimes the hardest thing in life is to first love yourself and take good care of those closest to you. I feel blessed that I was raised with the values and work ethic of my parents even with the slight or obvious blemishes we have.
In what seems like a chaotic and challenging time now, in the big picture is just another day, week or month that we have to apply our values and priorities for life. I am forever grateful to my Mother for preparing me and nurturing me to become the man, husband, father and person I am.
Angel on Earth
a recollection by Rita Vogel, Sister-in-Law
Dorothy Cummins is the godmother of our daughter, Dorothy (Vogel) Seykora. She has always been a strong, positive force in our family, and I will never forget the ways in which she supported us.
Our daughter Dorothy was newly commissioned in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Enid, Oklahoma for pilot training. My husband, Col. Joseph Vogel, and I were traveling to Oklahoma for her pilot training graduation (to get her wings) and for her wedding to future husband, Mike Seykora.
We arrived at Vance Air Force Base just a few days prior to the festivities. The night before the wedding, while in the midst of putting together centerpieces, we got a call saying that my Mother had passed away rather suddenly. I was in shock, as she had lived independently just a short distance from Dorothy & Jim in Avon, Ohio.
I soon learned that Mother had taken ill and Dorothy insisted that Mother come to stay with them. Dorothy cared for her like she was her own Mother. She was there for her, holding her, when she took her last breath. I was over 1000 miles away, and I’ll never forget how relieved I felt that Dorothy was the one caring for Mother in the end. I am forever indebted to her for her loving kindness and for going far above the call of duty.
Dorothy and Jim Cummins with their Mothers, Helen Ferko and Florence Cummins
Without Dorothy’s love and care, I wouldn’t have been able to be there for our daughter Dorothy on her wedding day and on the day she earned her wings and graduated from pilot training. I am eternally grateful to Dorothy Cummins for being there for my Mother at her passing.
She was an angel on Earth and will certainly be amongst the angels in Heaven.
With Love, Rita Vogel
“For it is in giving that we receive…”
A reflection by Joseph Cummins, son
From the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
The most therapeutic activity for me this week began with a request from my sister, Julie. She had reached out to Pat, a lifelong friend of my mother from grade school. They both belonged to a club that was formed in school – The Little Flower Mission Circle.
Through the years they had activities to raise funds for missions and other charities. They held monthly meetings – rotating between the members’ houses. They also had some regular social activities including their annual Steak Roast which my mother hosted for many years. I looked forward to when it was my mothers’ turn to host the meeting because it meant she would be buying some special snacks and preparing a special dessert and we would get to partake in any leftovers. Thankfully, there were often leftovers. While it was difficult to fall asleep as their stories and rambunctious laughter went on late into the night, it was special to see such strong friendships and fun.
Julie lives close to Pat and has helped facilitate social visits these last few years. She has also helped with some errands lately because Pat’s husband has dementia and deteriorating health. Since Julie is currently in quarantine, she asked if I might be able to pick up a few groceries and drop them off for Pat. And so, I did. I got everything on her small list and I added a pot of daffodils. I set them by her side door and then was going to call.
Before I got to my car she came out, surprised to have the delivery so soon. She did not know I would be coming. I have not seen her in years. I had to tell her who I was and then we began to talk. Hearing her voice again – one of the ones that kept me up on “Club Night” – suddenly soothing. She offered kind words and condolences regarding my mother. She spoke of her pain and frustration regarding the lack of care her husband is getting and the fact that he no longer knows her and she cannot currently visit him. It was then that I realized her loss. She has known my mother far longer than me. Through the years they both were saddened as they lost other members of the club. There are only a handful of them left.
I thanked her for her friendship with my mother and expressed my sympathy to her and her husband. Holding the daffodils, she asked if she had put a plant on her list. I replied that because she was who she was, a plant should always be on her list. As I backed out of the drive, I thought to myself that my mother would be happy and proud. She had set a great example.
Prayer of St. Francis, prayer card for DorothyCummins
“For it is in giving that we receive.”
When I woke up the next morning, the line from The Prayer of St. Francis came to me – “For it is in giving that we receive.” The prayer is printed on my mother’s Memorial card. Because my father owned a small business, there were a few times that he did not get paid because he needed to make payroll for his employees. My mother had to manage things tightly and did a wonderful job. Still, she gave monetarily to the church and other charities.
More than money though, she gave of herself. She volunteered in many ways and helped others whenever she could. She sometimes struggled with low self-esteem, but when she helped others, she gained strength, confidence and happiness. She truly embodied that line from the prayer and I now understand it more fully. That is the way my mother lived and we are all better for it. Thank you, Mom. We will all miss you.
Members of my mother’s Little Flower Mission Circle
Wordless memory
a recollection by Karen Tracey niece
When I graduated from North Ridgeville High School in 1984 for whatever reason my graduation party was held at Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Jim’s house in Avon. I knew I had a picture of Aunt Dorothy and I at that party in an old photo album. Well tonight I pulled out that old album and found the attached two pictures!
Unfortunately there were no written words of this memory so I can only imagine the shenanigans that took place. First observation is that someone other than me obviously took these pictures (back then selfies did not exist). As I look at the picture of the swimming pool that must have been in the neighbors yard, I see myself running from it (that’s me under the arrow).
In the other picture I see Aunt Dorothy coming up behind me laughing! Then I observe that my left knee and shin are awfully dirty. Hmm I was thinking I was set up, thrown in the pool and photographed by someone in on the plot.
But why the dirty knees? Probably because I was and still am a klutz and most likely fell once I got out of that darn pool. Last question: was Aunt Dorothy in on this set up? We may never know but this is the Aunt Dorothy I’ll always remember. Full of life, laughing and smiling.
I used to say I thought Aunt Dorothy talked just to hear herself talk because she talked so much! She was a woman of many words. That’s the Aunt and Godmother in my memory book ironically with no words.