Ortonville-People close to Dorothy Buckingham said her homemade Polish sausage could draw a crowd for miles. Others argued it was her cherry pie that drew hungry fans.
Either way, friends and relatives knew and loved the patient, kind and selfless person’she was a friend they will miss.
Anastasia C. ‘Dorothy? Buckingham, 83, of Ortonville died Tuesday, July 8 at POH Medical Center. A funeral mass was celebrated on July 11 at St. Anne’s Church in Ortonville, interment in Ortonville Cemetery. Visitation was July 10 at the Sherman Wilk Funeral Home.
She was born on June 12, 1920 in Detroit to Michael and Pauline Koslowski. She moved to Groveland Township in 1932 with her parents when she was 12. She married William E. Buckingham in Davison on Aug. 31, 1940. They were married for 52 years and lived in Ortonville since 1940. She and her late husband were founding members of St.Anne’s Church in Ortonville.
Dorothy’s formal schooling ended in fifth grade, when she then took responsibility of caring for her mother and two nieces.
She worked for many years as a homemaker and clerk at a meat packing store for 12 years and Featherton’s Hardware Store in Ortonville for more than ten.
Dorothy married her husband Bill in 1940, and moved to Ortonville. They helped start the first St.Anne’s mission in 1949 with a group of about 60 families who would gather at Grange Hall. They eventually received their first priest in 1957. Dorothy and her husband were very active in starting the church and bringing the idea to reality. She retired in 1981, and traveled all over the country to places such as Tennessee, the Smoky Mountains and Florida with her husband Bill.
Maryann McCarville, secretary at St.Anne’s Church said she was very religious and attended daily mass. She remembers Dorothy working hard in the kitchen at the parish festivals donating her time to hungry mouths.
‘She just had a very positive attitude. She would offer people communion a lot, and when she became ill, people would in turn, offer it to her. She had a lot of friends at the church, and it was just a place where she enjoyed being.?
Another close friend of Dorothy’s, Gwen Roberts, said the two rekindled their relationship after both of their husbands died.
‘We saw each other at the grocery store and at that point each of us were cooking for one. She asked me if I’d like to have lunch with her and we made a pact to do that once a week. We had two other women who would join us as well,? said Roberts.
Roberts remembers the love she had for her grandchildren and her devotion for her own children. The two became very close friends, frequently spending time together playing Mexican dominoes, or just sharing a laugh.
‘Life is different when you’re a widow so we took a lot of trips together. We would go to Detroit to the casino, the ballet, Frankenmuth or just to a park to have a picnic. We would just talk and have good times with one another.?
Father Bernard Mullen, the pastor at St. Anne’s, visited Dorothy during her last days at POH Medical Center.
‘She seemed very alert and together. I told her I was new in town and asked her if I would like it here. She told me that if I liked peace and quiet, and good people then I would love it,? said Mullen.
Dorothy was a member of the Ortonville Women’s Club and enjoyed family gatherings. Her friends and family said they will miss her warm smile and big heart.
Surviving are son David (Beverly) of Davison, two grandchildren, Paul Buckingham, PhD and Angelica (Eric) Angela. Two great grandsons, Andrew and Ryan. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband William in 1992.