1946-2007
Dorlyn on the summit of Avery Peak in Maine, 1991
NEWS OF DORLYN'S PASSING........ The long-distance hiker community lost a special member of the clan when Dorlyn Williams died of cancer Tuesday, April 3. Dorlyn was a thru-hiker and wife of former ATC Land Trust Director and former A.T. Museum Society board member Bob Williams. Bob & Dorlyn thru-hiked together in 1991; she as "Low Gear," he as "Caboose." (Bob thru-hiked by himself two years later.)
.... They both made many friends in the long-distance hiking community on their thru-hike, and subsequently while Bob worked at ATC and they lived together in Harpers Ferry. Bob and Dorlyn were next-door neighbors to Clara "Cass" Cassidy, a Harpers Ferry resident who took in and fed A.T. hikers long before the term "trail angel" was coined. Dorlyn was an exceptionally talented at many things, but one of them was the rug-braiding she learned from Cass.
.... Dorlyn's greatest talent though, was making friends. She will be greatly missed by friends along the Trail and itinerant trail friends around the country.
-- Laurie Potteiger
MEMORIAL SERVICE
.... To be held Saturday, April 14, at 2 p.m. at Camp Hill Wesley United Methodist Church, with Pastor Alexis Coleman officiating. A reception will follow in the social hall of the church. Please wear something yellow. Camp Hill Wesley Church is located in Harpers Ferry about two blocks from ATC on the right-hand side, as you head toward the lower town.
.... If you plan to attend the memorial service for Dorlyn, and have not already notified Bob, please let Laurie Potteiger know at lpotteiger@appalachiantrail.org. Even if your plans are tentative, that's OK -- Bob and those helping with the food arrangements are just trying get a head count.
.... If you wish to contact Bob, you can reach him at:
IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND . . .
.... If you are unable to attend Saturday's memorial service, you can still remember Dorlyn. When you get dressed that day, wear something yellow. (See her obituary below to understand why.)
.... Also, messages can be sent through the funeral home Web site at http://www.eackles-spencerfuneralhome.com/. Those wishing to make a donation in Dorlyn's memory can send one to Camp Hill Wesley United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 1, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425.
OBITUARY
.... Dorlyn Ewing Williams, 60, an optometrist with wide-ranging interests and countless friends, passed away Tuesday, April 3, at her home in Harpers Ferry, after a three-and-a-half year battle with cancer.
.... Ms. Williams practiced optometry for more than 21 years, retiring in 2003. She served in the Army for eight years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Fort Leonardwood, Mo., and Fort Myers in Arlington, Va. Moving to private practice, she worked in Prince William County, Va., and Winchester, Va.
.... Ms. Williams studied optometry at the University of California at Berkeley and became a doctor in optomery at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry near Philadelphia. Prior to that, she received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Davis.
.... Her thirst for knowledge, however, extended beyond optometry. She completed a course in leadership and team-building skills in the Army's Combined Arms and Services Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and obtained a master's degree in management from Webster University in St. Louis, Mo. She completed six months of training with the Medical Service Corp., in San Antonio, Texas. She also took an intensive Spanish language training course in Guatemala.
.... Always on a quest for adventure and fun, Ms. Williams traveled extensively. She was born in Chanute, Kan., on April 13, 1946. But during the course of her life, she lived in 13 states, as well as Germany and traveled to every state in the U.S., all of the provinces in Canada, and many countries overseas, including Malawi and South Africa.
.... In 1978, she completed a marathon race of more than 26 miles in Charlottesville, Va., and in 1991, she hiked the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail with her husband, Bob.
.... During the mid-1990s, she and a friend decided to attend services at every church in Jefferson County, where Harpers Ferry is located. They worshiped at all of the 105 churches in the county over a period of many months.
.... In 2006, she and Bob criss-crossed the country visiting family and friends. Their travels took them to Seattle, Texas, Minnesota, New Orleans, where she had her picture taken with Chef Paul Prudhomme, Maine and Newfoundland, where the sun first rises along the east coast of North America.
.... Ms. Williams was an avid reader and loved word games and crossword puzzles. Possessing a keen intellect, she never tired of exploring ideas and complex issues. She enjoyed photography, became a master of rug braiding and pursued many other interests.
.... Her greatest gift, however, was her ability to make friends with almost everyone she met, drawing them into her family and recruiting them for various adventures. She nurtured relationships, helping one friend fight an addiction to alcohol, tutoring a colleague's son and encouraging him to follow his musical interests and opening up her home and hospitality to many family members and friends for extended periods of time.
.... Her favorite color was yellow, a symbol of her enormous warmth and compassion. She touched everyone she met and left a lasting impression, which will help them endure her loss.
.... Survivors include her husband of more than 40 years, Bob Williams, of Harpers Ferry; daughter, Jenny Williams and grandchildren, Paco Cathcart, Whitman Clark and Clementine Williams of New York City; son, Bruce Williams; grandchildren Lucy and Violet Williams of Kirkland, Wash.; two sisters, Joyce Burnett, of Olympia, Wash., and Karen Coomber, of Tacoma, Wash.; and a brother, Glenn Ewing, of Maple Valley, Wash.
.... A memorial service is to be held Saturday, April 14, at 2 p.m. at the Camp Hill Wesley United Methodist Church, with Pastor Alexis Coleman officiating. A reception will follow in the social hall of the church. Please wear something yellow.
.... Condolences to the family may be left at her obituary at www.eackles-spencerfuneralhome.com.
.... Arrangements are by the Eackles-Spencer & Norton Funeral Home, U.S. 340 at Halltown Road, Charles Town/Harpers Ferry.
