Dorathy Dreeben Block

Dottie was born October 3, 1940 in San Antonio, Texas. Dottie's childhood and teenage years were in San Antonio, attend-ing Saint Mary's Hall and graduating high school from Jefferson. She then attended Sarah Law-rence College in Bronxville, New York, before she returned to San Antonio to marry, Stephen Lang and raise their children, Ellen, Sylvan and Nathan.

Dottie was most fulfilled by raising her beloved children and many grandchildren. Her greatest joy was the fun of adventures with her family, whether in the city, countryside, zoo, movies, or even the grocery store. Dottie also en-joyed a successful, meaningful and important career of volunteer work. She was the inaugural President of the Southwest Foundation Forum in 1971 (now Texas Biomedical Forum) and worked tirelessly to organize, strengthen and grow the organization. The Texas Biomedical Fo-rum website quotes Dottie in its inaugural, saying: "The original concept came from Mrs. S. S. Kalter, Mr. Lewis T. Johnson, Mr. L. Richard Smith Jr. and Dr. Harold Vagtborg to establish a women's group in support of Southwest Foundation for Research and Education."

She also served on the boards of the San Antonio American Cancer Society, Bexar County Children Shel-ter and Bexar County Red Cross. Dottie also served as a San Antonio Jewish Federation Wom-en's Division Chairwoman and served on the board of Temple Beth-El San Antonio. Her service work included a lifetime of devotion to Temple Beth-El, which was an integral part of Dottie's family for five generations. Dottie also served as Co-Chair of the Cattlebaron's Gala with her sister in law, Jeanne Mathews. When planning that year's Gala for the American Cancer Society at Governor Connally's ranch, Dottie expressed concern that she had underestimated the number of guests. Governor Connally reassured her saying, "Well little lady, it's a big ranch."

Dottie loved the outdoors. She and her first husband, Steve, and their children loved ranching, horse-back riding, hunting and fishing in the Texas hill country. She enthusiastically supported a small zoo of dogs, cats, snakes, guinea pigs, gerbils, fish, turtles, ducks, peacocks and a donkey. Dottie and Steve were part of the original group of investors which brought the Spurs to San Antonio as an ABA team. Dottie was gleeful about Halloween, transforming the yard and house with tomb-stones, fog machine, lots of blood and serving as a famous Halloween neighborhood witch. Af-ter marrying Gus in 1985, she lived in Houston where Gus practiced law and the two also en-joyed keeping a life and home in San Antonio. Upon Gus' retirement, they returned to Olmos Park within a few blocks of Dottie's childhood home on Park Hill Drive. Dottie and Gus loved traveling throughout the country and abroad to visit their children and stepchildren but their greatest joy was hosting sleepovers with the grandchildren.

Even before she faced the challenges of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and breast cancer, Dottie reminded all her family and friends to live by her motto: "Don't postpone joy." Dottie loved opening her home to family and friends to celebrate life and special occasions. Dottie is grateful for the loving care of her doctor, Amy Lang, M.D. as well as many of the physicians, nurses and staff of the START Center for Cancer Care.

Dottie was preceded in death by her parents, Jane (Stern) and Nathan "Dan" Dreeben; her sister, Ellen Dreeben Falick; brother, Dan Stern Dreeben, Sr. and grandchildren, Levi Stern Neuman and Owen Simon Gerson. Dottie is survived by her loving husband, Gus Block; her children, Ellen Lang Self, her husband Dwain, and children Isaac and Eva Jane; Sylvan Stephen Lang Jr., his wife, Amy, and children, Emily and Allie; Nathan Stern Lang and his wife, Leah; Stephane and Alison Block Gerson, and children Julian and Elliot; and Rabbi Barry and Dr. Toni Dollinger Block, and children, Robert and Daniel; her niece, Danise Alexander, and her husband, Michael and nephew, Dan Stern Dreeben, Jr.

SERVICE

WEDNESDAY

MAY 28, 2014

3:30 P.M.

WULFE SANCTUARY

TEMPLE BETH-EL

211 BELKNAP

In lieu of flowers, contributions to ThriveWell Cancer Foundation (thrivewell.org).