Dolores Dellana "Didi" Dutrow

KARNS CITY, Penn. - Didi Dutrow, 74, died at home surrounded by her family on August 1, 2008. Born in Karns City, Penn, daughter of northern Italian immigrants, she received her R.N. from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, in Pittsburgh, Penn, in 1955. Didi practiced as a nurse for over 50 years, serving across several states and in a number of specialty areas. One of her most rewarding experiences was working as a Radiation Nurse Specialist for the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health ("NIH") in Bethesda, MD. Didi was a nurse at Duke University Medical Center for over 20 years. She assisted during procedures in the Hyperbaric Chamber, and served as Head Nurse in the Pulmonary Clinic. In addition, she worked in the Medical Private Diagnostic Clinics, rotating through the subspecialties. Didi retired from Duke in 1996. For the past 11 years, she has worked with the Rice Diet Clinic in Durham, which specializes in the care of obesity and related conditions. Her passion for her patients, along with the commitment and camaraderie shared among the staff, gave her some of the happiest and most fulfilling moments of her career. Didi's volunteer activities included the Duke Children's Classic, the Civil Air Patrol, and the Sierra Club. She was an avid tennis player, recreational runner, and a former group fitness instructor. Known for her keen fashion sense and personal style, Didi delighted in travel and did so extensively. Married to George Fewell Dutrow, Ph.D. at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, MD, in 1961, the two traveled coast to coast before making their home in Durham. George, a founding partner of The Forestland Group LLC, is a former Duke football standout, past Dean of the Duke School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and a retired Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. Didi's greatest joy was her family. In addition to her husband of 46 years, she is survived by two daughters: Kristin Baker, husband Scott (both physicians in Concord, NC); and Kelli Jackson, husband Doug (both attorneys in Cary, NC). Beloved as "Nonnina," she cherished her four grandchildren: Leah Dellana, Kelli Phillips, and Michael McKinley Baker; and Whitney Louise Jackson. A private funeral service will be held in Pennsylvania, in Didi's home town. A memorial service will be held in Durham on a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn., 38105. The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the Tuesday Support Group at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, for their friendship, laughter, and steadfast encouragement over the past two and a half years.