Dolores M. Martin Spruell

Dolores M. Spruell, 97, beloved spouse of late Robert Welton Spruell, died on October 24th, 2010. She passed away at the Virginian Retirement Home where she lived for the past 4 and 1/2 years, after residing 56 years in Annandale, VA. She was a civilian employee of the U.S. Marine Corps for over 19 years. Mother to Clyde, Wayne, and Danny, she had five grandchildren (Stacy, Jennifer, Lee, Brian, & Nathan) and three great grandchildren (Ethan, Owen, & Lucas). May she rest in peace.

Dolores M. Spruell was born Dolores Maria Martin on March 14, 1913 to Etanizlazas (Tanita) Fernandez of Puerto Rico and Clyde Seymour Martin, a Naval Warrant Officer from South Dakota. She had two older sisters, Lil (1910) and Emma (1911), a younger sister, Jeanne (1924) and one brother, John (1917). As the child of a U.S. Naval Officer, she lived at various naval bases, including, Philadelphia, PA and Yorktown and Norfolk, VA. She graduated from Maury High School in Norfolk, VA on June 12, 1931.

On May 18, 1935, at the age of 22, Dolores married Robert Welton Spruell at her home in Norfolk, VA. Welton was born (October 20, 1908) and raised in Norfolk, VA. In the summer of 1934, nearly a year before their marriage, he took a job with the U.S. Government (Mapping Service) in Washington, D.C. Although they frequently saw each other on weekends, Dolores and Welton wrote to each other every few days for almost a year before they were married.

After they were married, Dolores and Welton lived in an apartment in Washington D.C. until 1950, when they bought their first house. They were to live together at 3432 Woodburn Road, Annandale, VA until Welton’s death on January 29, 1993. Dolores remained in that house for another 13 years (a total of 56 years) until moving to the Virginian Retirement Home in Fairfax, VA, in April 2006.

Dolores and Welton had three sons, Clyde (1939), Wayne (1945) and Danny (1950). They had five grandchildren, Stacy (1976), Jennifer (1977), Lee (1979), Brian (1981) and Nathan (1981). And, they had three great grandchildren, Ethan (2006), Owen (2007) and Lucas (2008). She remained deeply devoted to all her offspring throughout her life.

Welton worked over 40 years with the U.S. Government. Dolores also began working for the U.S. Government in 1956 and completed over 19 years, as a civilian employee of the U.S. Marine Corps, before retiring in 1975. Her last position, before retiring was as a supervisory military personnel clerk for Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.

Dolores practiced the Roman Catholic faith for all of her more than 97 years. For the last few years of his life, Welton suffered from Parkinson’s disease and emphysema. Through her sacrifice, dedication and care, he was able to remain at home with her until just before he passed away.

In 2006, Dolores moved into the Virginian, a retirement community with some 400 residents. At the age of 93, she enjoyed morning exercise, weekly Spanish classes and bingo, daily dinner with her friends, and various other activities and shows. She remained active until a week before she passed away on October 24, 2010.

She was a strong-willed woman with a good and generous heart, who was determined to remain independent and active as long as humanly possible. With the help of the Virginian and the love of her family she was able to maintain that independence until just before her death. In the few days before she took her last breath, she was able to see her children and grand children one last time. She died peacefully on a sunny, quiet Sunday afternoon in her own bed, at the Virginian, surrounded by her most cherished possessions, mementos and memories of a lifetime.

Arrangements under the direction of National Funeral Home, Falls Church, VA.