Dolores K. Lord

Dolores K. LORD “The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom.” HW Beecher Lewiston - Dolores Lord, 87, a resident of 239 Lake Street, Auburn passed away of natural causes at St Mary's d'Youville Pavilion on the morning of April 7, 2010. Born in Joliet, Illinois on September 6, 1922 to Mary Louise Fabian and Charles Joseph Kompare, Dolores Maria Elizabeth was ninth of ten children. In an era when many girls only finished grammar school, Mary encouraged her girls to become educated. Dolores listened. She worked to help support their large family, did her chores, studied hard and found time for the swim team. She loved to swim. After a winning season, a scout approached her to train for the Olympics. This path was not in her stars. She graduated from J. Sterling Morton High School in Cicero, Illinois on August 2, 1940 and went to work for Western Electric at the Hawthorne Works in her hometown. This was the big band era. Living in Chicago, Dolores, her brothers and sisters had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the ballroom scene. On March 27, 1943 at the Aragon Ballroom, Dolores danced with George Edward Lord, a Marine from Ardmore, Pennsylvania stationed at Great Lakes. They were married August 24, 1943. Dolores followed him to Baltimore MD. She transferred to the Western Electric communications plant, a ‘government girl’ in quality control – one of the workingwomen who helped win WWII. When George returned from the war in the South Pacific, they moved to the Philadelphia area. Eventually, they settled in Bellmawr NJ, where they raised their three children: Arlene, Bryan and Laurie Ann. Like many women of her day, Dolores was a stay-at-home Mom until her children finished high school. During these years, her husband, George, was a well-known newsman and radio commentator for CBS (WCAU) in Philadelphia, one of the pioneers of ‘Talk Radio.’ George was involved in NJ politics and knew many prominent and celebrated people of this period. Dolores did not care for the limelight, nor was she impressed. She determined to keep the home fires burning and the family secure. She made her way through years of PTO, bake sales, Alter Guild at the Church of the Holy Spirit, fundraising for diverse and innumerable causes, community picnics and parades, Christmas bonfires, music and dance recitals, school plays and sport events. Her homemade goodies had a following at the bake sales. People actually waited for her cakes to arrive and bid to buy them! She made vestments for her church priests and sewed hundreds of ballet costumes for tiny, aspiring dancers who had no one to sew for them. She taught her children to cook and clean, the oft forgotten lessons of daily living. Dolores, George and their children vacationed yearly, visiting relatives and places from history books. These trips enriched all their lives. She loved her country – ‘from sea to shining sea.’ They spent many summer months with friends in Avalon and Cape May NJ. Unexpectedly, in 1975 at the age of 53, Dolores became a widow. Relying on skills learned years before, she returned to work in quality control. For a short time, she worked in a cosmetics firm and then on laser scanners and wireless communications equipment at Metrologic Instruments, Bellmawr NJ. She helped raise or just played with her grandchildren. She went through the hard and good times with all of her children. She danced with friends and often traveled with her brother Albert and sister, Betty. In 2000, Dolores moved to Auburn to live with her daughter. Dolores never did get to India to see the Taj Mahal, the Hawaiian Islands or the pyramids of Egypt. She did go to the mountains in Autumn, stop to hug her family, watch the butterflies, love her pets, dance whenever music played (until she could no longer stand) and retain her sense of wonder. ‘Dodo’ as her close friends and family called her, made holidays (especially Christmas) special, helped so many children learn to swim, contemplated to the music of violins, and read her mail everyday. Dolores had integrity and a creative intelligence. She saw the beauty and possibilities in everyone and everything around her. She was stalwart, stubborn and silly. Sometime she was impatient. However, she always tried to leave a place better than she found it. Most of all, Dolores was a physically stunning woman in her prime, a faithful wife, a self-less and loving mother, a loyal and trusted friend who was always there when someone needed a helping hand. Her journey shares a common thread with many women’s’ journeys. The years of development and self-discovery -- becoming Dolores, falling in love, marrying and becoming George’s wife, having children and becoming so-and-so’s mother, then attempting to re-define herself. As she aged, she became reclusive. One summer afternoon, she calmly announced that her journey was over, “Dolores is going away.” Dementia explained so simply. She lived several years, floating between then and now. On lucid days, the light in her eyes returned and her true colors shown through, giving a fleeting glimpse of who she was to her caregivers. Dolores saw the beauty in this world; she was a generous soul who shared with others all that she was and had to give. May she pass into Heaven with the same joy and anticipation shown in photographs of her as she passed through this life. Dolores is survived by her three children -- 1) Arlene Lord Bowles, her husband Jodd, their sons Ben and Nigel of Auburn ME and her daughter, Phoebe Parker of West Palm Beach FL 2) Laurie Ann Lord (Kosovan) and son David Kosovan of Girard OH, son Edward Darius Kosovan, his wife Becky, daughter Alyssa and sons Darius and Thomas of Youngstown OH and 3) George Bryan Lord, his wife Doreen Skala of Bellmawr NJ, his daughter Eileen Lord and granddaughter Autumn of Philadelphia PA, his son, Roger Lord and his wife Sandy of NJ and her daughter Ashley Skala of NJ. Dolores is also survived by two sisters -- Julie Stortz of Bodfish Oakes CA and Shirley Campbell of Prescott AZ. Waiting for Dolores are her husband, George, sisters Mary Manchetti, Agnes Skala and Elizabeth Woerner and brothers Henry, Charles, Joseph, and Albert Kompare, and all her ancestors. Please join us between Noon and 3 PM on Saturday, April 24 at the home where Dolores resided with Arlene, Jodd, Ben and Nigel, 239 Lake Street, Auburn for a celebration and recognition of her life. On July 15, 2010, Dolores will lay to rest next to her husband, George, in Locustwood Memorial Park, Cherry Hill NJ. A memorial gathering for friends and family is being planned. Please, check this site for place and time. The family wishes to thank the nurses, CNAs and volunteers who truly cared for and took time to appreciate Dolores during her residency at d'Youville Pavilion. We would also like to thank Dr. Kurt Oswald for his empathy and patience with our mother. Donations in memory of Dolores may be made to the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society, 55 Strawberry Avenue, Lewiston, Maine 04240 (207-783-2311) or Make-A-Wish Foundation®of Maine, Portland Office, 477 Congress Street, First Floor, Suite 7W, Portland, ME 04101 Online condolences and sharing of memories may be expressed at www.lynchbrothers.com