Dorothy Juanita Killian

Dorothy passed away peacefully on December 27, 2023. She was born in Huntington, Arkansas on May 4, 1927, to Cleo and Ethel Thomas. She had 2 younger siblings, Billy Henry and Phala Jo. Dorothy married Ray Kirby at 16 years old and they moved to Garden Grove, California with her family in 1943. She lived in Garden Grove for the remainder of her life. Ray went off to war and Dorothy went to work. Her first job was at a Fullerton Cannery, then a local cabbage patch where she worked a machine to chop the cabbage. Next, she was a secretary at the shipyard where she answered phones, took messages, and ran errands on a bike. The war ended and Dorothy was a housewife. She missed working and started back at a “5 and 10” store. Then one day she saw an ad for free dance lessons at Arthur Murray Dance Studio. She enjoyed the dancing and did so well that she became a dance teacher at Arthur Murray. After 12 years of marriage, she and Ray divorced. Dorothy fell in love with another dance teacher, Bill Killian. Dorothy and Bill married. One day she applied for a cashier job at the Alpha Beta grocery store. The manager was so impressed with her that he created a new job and asked her to be the first “box boy” until a checker job opened up. Dorothy worked at Alpha Beta for the next 29 years! She became a checker and two years in a row she was the “checker of the year” in her district. The manager told her that she would have had this honor many more times, but they felt they needed to spread the award to others. Dorothy moved up into a teaching job where she taught checkers and front-end managers. She loved her Alpha Beta family and enjoyed years of lunch get togethers until Covid-19 hit.

Away from work Dorothy enjoyed many hobbies. Playing cards with family and friends started when she was young and continued through her life. When she was young, she would sometimes join the weekly (monthly?) family game that included great meals and fun with her Aunts and Uncles. Later in life she played with her sister, brother-in-law, and friends, often at the Rosen’s house. Dorothy also enjoyed gambling, especially the slot machines, and spent many nights playing bingo. She loved bragging about her many bingo wins! Traveling with Bill, Ted, and Lucy was a big part of her life. She traveled throughout the United States and took trips to Europe and Japan.

Dorothy had a few other names: Juanita, Dot, and Dottie. No matter what you called her, she was a beautiful, intelligent, thoughtful, generous, grateful, and loving woman. Her family and friends meant everything to her. She always talked about her Alpha Beta family and the close relationships that she had with them, especially Alice and Harry. Her neighbor Kim Ferreira became like a daughter. They kept in touch for years after Kim moved away. Hector, another neighbor, helped her with yard work and odd jobs around her home. Dorothy knew that she was a part of a very special family. She loved being included at family events and always came in with a sweet treat like banana pudding or Krispy Kreme donuts. She was very loving and would do anything for her family, from giving thoughtful gifts to caring for them when they needed her most. She had a long and beautiful life. Dorothy collected angels and now she will be our angel watching over us. She will be missed, but never forgotten.