Dorothy Siler Schenck

Dorothy Schenck Obituary

Dowling Park, FL

Dorothy Siler Schenck, 87, passed away Monday, July 21, 2008, after a brief illness in Dowling Park, FL.

Mrs. Schenck was born in Franklin, NC, moving to Tallahassee from Lake City in 1954 and retired to Dowling Park in 1993. A descendant of a North Carolina pioneer family whose grandfather founded Franklin, NC, Mrs. Schenck was the eldest of three children born to Julius Siler and Mary Wilbanks. Her father was an early member of the National Forest Service staff and was instrumental in the development of the national park lands of western North Carolina. Her mother was a registered nurse in Atlanta as well as Franklin. Mrs. Schenck attended Montreat College in Montreat, NC.

Mrs. Schenck was an active member of Faith Presbyterian Church from the church's founding in the early 1950's until the couple's move to Dowling Park. In addition to her volunteer activity at church Mrs. Schenck was actively involved as a troop leader with Girl Scouts, as a reading mentor at Scaly Elementary School and for over 15 years as an active volunteer with the Leon High School Band program.

Mrs. Schenck was preceded in death in 2004 by her husband of 64 years, Curran Jolly Schenck, a longtime employee of the Florida Department of Transportation who retired in 1979 as Deputy Secretary of the agency. She was also preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Julius Siler of Summerville, SC.

Survivors are a daughter, Dorothy Johnson (Emory) and a son, Skip Schenck (Laverne), all of Tallahassee; a son, Jim Schenck (Jan) of Dowling Park; a son, Grady Schenck (Marion) of Walden, NY; a sister, Jane White of Ashville, NC and grandchildren, Amy Schenck of Tallahassee, Melissa Johnson of Jacksonville, Ivey Johnson Hall (Travis) of Macon, GA, Curran Schenck and fiancee, Kristin Almond of Dowling Park, Christine Schenck of Walden, NY and Lea Schenck and fiance, Wil Posey of Dowling Park and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. In addition to immediate family, Mrs. Schenck is survived by her sister-in-law, Belle Siler of Summerville, SC, Mr. Schenck's brother-in-laws, Roland Freeman of Jacksonville and Jack Moore of Gainesville.

She will always be remembered for her passion of volunteering with children, helping others to achieve their greatest level of potential, and the love for one more adventure with her family. The door to her heart was and remains always open.

The family wishes to thank the supporting staff of Advent Christian Village for the years of loving care and compassion.

Visitation with the family will take place from 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, July 22 at Bevis Funeral Home, 2710 North Monroe St., Tallahassee. A memorial service to celebrate the life of Mrs. Schenck will be held at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 23 at Bixler Memorial Chapel, Dowling Park, FL with internment at the Johnson Family Cemetery, Climax, GA.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Girl Scout Council of Apalachee Bend, 250 Pinewood Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32303, the Advent Christian Village, Village Benevolent Fund, PO Box 4305, Dowling Park, FL 32064 or a charity of your choice.

Bevis Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements; 850-385-2193.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Times Herald-Record on Jul. 22, 2008.

Memories and Condolences
for Dorothy Schenck

2 Entries

Danielle Owens

August 4, 2008

Dorothy was a true Girl Scout Angel and will be missed by us all.

~The Girl Scout Council of Apalachee Bend

Angel in Green

Having left mortal earth, I passed through Heaven's Gate
And while anxiously awaiting the outcome of my fate
I walked among the Angels all robed in purest white
Whereupon I saw one figure which cast a greenish light.

She sat upon a misty cloud, a harp held to her breast
In a flowing, blowing gown of green unlike all the rest;
I asked what great deed she'd done to earn the special hue
That gave her color where others had none, or maybe just a few.

She said "On earth I sought no fame, fortune was not my goal,
I shunned the power of politics and worked without a toll;
I spent my time with children, helping them to grow
For as you reap in life, so must you learn to sow."

"You see...", she said, "the dividends while growing up I'd share
I returned where many others were too self-involved to care.
Girl Scouting was my choice of roads to follow in my quest
For among the girls I found a love deeper than the rest."

"A teacher was I, my work was hard, I had no diploma or pay
But where family and institutions failed, I help show them the way.
The lessons I taught were obscure and difficult to see
For they didn't have names like 'spelling', 'math', or geometry'."

"They were lessons in life delivered through guided experience
And they taught such things as character, spirit, and confidence.
Though on earth my life was blessed, it's even more so today
For when I look down I see my work, as my girls show others the way."

"On earth Girl Scouting taught me to leave things better than before
And the same applies to that mortal place where life never was a bore.
Now having lived by that Girl Scouting rule in every earthly endeavor
I have become an Angel in green and shall be a Girl Scout forever."

Barbara Henricks

July 22, 2008

Dear Dorothy, Jim, Grady and Skip as well as the grandchildren:

My love and sympathy goes out to you in this time or sorrow.
We all know the trials your Mom has been through these past few years and now she is resting in the arms of our Lord. Now her mind is alert, her pains are gone. She is free at last.
As Dorothy said yesterday when she and I spoke, she is with Curran, and her other loved ones in heaven.
May you all feel Gods arms of comfort surrounding you in this time of your life, and may God bless you all.
With love,
Barbara Henricks

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