DOROTHY MEADOWS COLE

COLE, DOROTHY MEADOWS, 89, born 7 July 1920 in St. Petersburg, FL, died 5 July 2010 in Manassas, VA. With her family at her bedside, Dorothy (Dot) Cole passed away on 5 July 2010, two days shy of her 90th birthday. Raised in Orlando, FL, Dorothy Meadows graduated from Orlando High School with the class of 1938. In her 20's during WWII, Dot was manager of the Grand Theater in downtown Orlando. She was often mistaken for a young Judy Garland, as the similarities were striking. In 1945, she married her first grade classmate, Tom Cole, who graduated from the Southern College of Optometry. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to Virginia Gardens, FL, where Dot was active in civic service and local politics. Serving as the chairwoman of the Virginia Gardens Beautification Committee for many years, she was instrumental in the planting of over 900 parkway trees. Those trees now form a canopy over the streets of the community, and have changed the character and quality of the village. Dot was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Miami Springs, past president of the Lion's Club and Miami Optometric Women's Auxiliaries, past president of the local PTA, organizer of numerous school and community functions, an avid gardener, artist, and accomplished seamstress. Dorothy was widowed in 1989, after celebrating 45 wonderful years of marriage. A few years later, she moved to Seattle to live with her daughter and granddaughter. In 2007, one of her dreams was fulfilled when her daughter purchased a house next door to her son in Manassas, Virginia and the family was reunited once again. Dorothy was a gracious lady who put others at ease, and their interests ahead of her own. Courageous in her belief in Jesus Christ, she held firm to her values and integrity. She never met a stranger, and was the sweetest, kindest, and most agreeable and selfless lady we have ever known. She will be greatly missed by all whose lives she touched. She is survived by her brother, Edward Meadows and sister-in- law Justine Meadows of Tallahassee, daughter, Jane Cole, son Vic Cole, daughter-in-law Becky Cole, grandchildren Tom Cole and wife Audra, Laura Giz, 2ndLt Andrew Cole, and several nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her husband, Dr. Thomas Cole, her parents, William Lee and Edna Meadows, and her sister, Evelyn Dykes. Funeral services will be conducted at noon on Saturday, 10 July 2010 at the Baldwin Fairchild Funeral Home, 301 North Ivanhoe Blvd, Orlando, FL. Interment will follow the funeral at the Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando, FL. View this Guest Book at www. MiamiHerald.com/obituaries.