Dorothy S. Dyche

Dorothy Virginia Sweitzer Dyche, age 88, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 14, 2016, at Wellstar Tranquility Hospice, in Marietta, Georgia. She was born in 1927 in Norfolk, Virginia, to Fred W. Sweitzer, Sr., and Bessie Louise Peake. Bessie died when Dorothy was only 3 years old. Dorothy\'s grandmother, Elizabeth Lowry Sweitzer, whom she called Mama, played a big part in raising her. Dorothy was later blessed with a second mother when her father married Maude Virginia Wilson.



Dorothy spent her early years in Norfolk and Hampton, Virginia. During WWII, her family moved to Savannah, Georgia, where her father worked in the shipyards. She was a 1944 graduate of Savannah High School where she played piccolo in the band. Dorothy met her lifelong friend, Sue Hill, while attending Savannah High School. She and Sue would get into a little mischief now and then. One time they skipped school and boarded a bus to downtown Savannah. Much to their surprise, Dorothy\'s mother, Virginia, was riding on the same bus!



After graduating high school, Dorothy began working at the C&S Bank in downtown Savannah as a teller. There she caught the eye of Fred Dyche, a dashing young man in a Delta Air Lines uniform who came in daily to make deposits for the airline. On their first date, Fred took Dorothy to Johnny Harris Restaurant. They were married in 1946 at St. John\'s Episcopal Church in Savannah and soon expanded their family with a daughter, Nancy, and a son, Jimmy.



Around 1952, a new airport was built at Travis Field and they moved to Chatham City Apartments in Garden City. A year or so later they moved to Port Wentworth. She was loved by the neighborhood children who called her Aunt Dot. Dorothy was a longtime member of Port Wentworth United Methodist Church. She faithfully attended and was active in church activities. Dorothy and Fred enjoyed square dancing and during the 1960s were members of several square dance clubs in Savannah. Fred was a well known square dance caller in Georgia and the Southeastern area. Dorothy was a bookkeeper and worked for a number of doctors, among them Dr. Beasley and Dr. Moreland in Garden City. She also worked for Cardon\'s Wallpaper, Westside Nursing Home, and Children\'s Medical Services.



Dorothy was not above a little prank now and then. She and her dear friend from Port Wentworth, Laverne Carter, decided to have a little fun one day and dressed up in the wackiest clothing they could find. Dorothy wore a real bird\'s nest with a plastic bird in the middle on her head. They went into Cowart\'s Drug Store in Port Wentworth, where many of the local teens hung out, and calmly sat down at the soda fountain counter. They ordered soft drinks and sat and chatted for a while.?? No one made fun of them or commented, but it would have been a hoot to hear what was said when they left the store!



Dorothy loved her grandchildren, Karen and James, and they brought her great joy. She spent a lot of time with them doing arts and crafts, cooking, and playing board games. When Karen was in elementary school, Dorothy flew to Atlanta one morning, surprised Karen at the Grandparents Luncheon at her school, and then flew back to Savannah that afternoon.?? Each summer she would take James to the Stand Up for America parade in Port Wentworth and dance with him as the parade passed by. Afterwards she would buy him all kinds of goodies from the vendors.?? She always went above and beyond to make each moment special when she spent time with them.



In 2001, Dorothy moved to Marietta, Georgia, to be close to her first great-grandchild, Riley. Great-grandchildren Garrett and Amanda soon followed in 2003 and 2008. She spent many hours caring for them when they were babies, feeding them, holding them, and rocking them to sleep.?? As they grew older she played board games with them, did arts and crafts, and never missed a school event, sports event, or performance.?? She was more of a grandmother than a great-grandmother to them and they loved her dearly.



Dorothy had been ill for a year prior to her death, having suffered a bad fall and then a stroke, which left her unable to walk or talk. She came home from the nursing home in May of 2015 under hospice care and was lovingly cared for by her family and the wonderful people from Wellstar Community Hospice. These hospice angels, Sandy, Flora, Donna, Ida, Jessica, Chaplain Alexander, her loyal sitter Mamie, and several others, provided exceptional care and support both physically and emotional for Dorothy and her family.



Dorothy was a kind and sweet person.?? She was extremely patient and never complained. She always wanted to help others.?? She loved the Lord and read her Bible daily when she was able.?? She passed away on Valentine\'s Day, a befitting day for someone that was the epitome of love.



Dorothy was always interested in reading the obituaries in the local papers. She especially enjoyed reading the obituaries which went into detail about the person\'s life. She would cut out and save her favorites. With that in mind, this is our tribute to Mom, her own \"darn good\" obituary.



She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred W. Sweitzer, Sr., Bessie Peake Sweitzer, and Virginia Wilson Sweitzer; husband, Fred Dyche; sister, Anne Van Dyke; and her favorite fishing buddy, Vince Surdousky.



Survivors include her daughter, Nancy Dyche of Marietta; son and daughter-in-law, James (Jim) and Rebekah Dyche of Savannah; granddaughter, Karen Bland Hodges of Marietta; grandson, James E. Dyche of Boone, North Carolina; great-grandchildren, Riley, Garrett, and Amanda Hodges of Marietta; two brothers, Fred W. Sweitzer Jr. and wife Marye of Rome, and John Sweitzer and wife Letitia of Atlanta; two sisters, Charlotte Surdousky of Morehead City, North Carolina, and Martha Ferguson and husband Bob of Morehead City, North Carolina. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews, and special friends, Sue Hill Wilson and husband James of Savannah, and Laverne Carter of Savannah.



The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 o'clock Thursday evening at Gamble Funeral Service ' 410 Stephenson Avenue.



The funeral service will be held at 11 o'clock Friday morning at the graveside, Greenwich section of Bonaventure Cemetery, conducted by The Reverend Randy B. Nease.



Memorial donations to Wellstar Community Hospice can be made online at http://www.wellstar.org/hospice??or by phone at 770-956-GIVE.