Dorothy Louise Ponder, an unapologetic Scrabble enthusiast and woefully underappreciated mother, passed away Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was 80.
Born Dec. 10, 1939, Dorothy was among eight children raised by Herman Joseph Ponder and Cordula Clara Winschel in Apple Creek.
Dorothy graduated from St. Vincent High School in 1958. She was voted the prettiest girl in her senior class.
She married Donald Robinson and had four children, once driving the whole crew from California to Missouri by herself in a Volkswagen Beatle. After her husband’s death, Dorothy remarried and had two more children.
Besides being a devoted mother and housewife, Dorothy held several jobs. One of her first jobs was as a switchboard operator for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. She spent several years as a cashier at the Country Kettle in Biehle and later at the Amoco Service Station on Highway 51 in Perryville. She also enjoyed her time cooking meals for the retired priests at St. Mary’s Seminary in Perryville and was a long-time sales representative of Avon Products.
Dorothy retired from Perry County Memorial Hospital where she worked in the Obstetrics Department. An expert swaddler, she took great pride in her job and enjoyed caring for the newborns. She even donated a rocking chair to the hospital for new parents to rock their babies.
Dorothy loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The annual “Mystery Trip,” when she would rent a van and gather all of her grandkids for a day of travel and exploration, was always a hit. A visit to “Grandma P’s” usually involved baking a sweet treat. Gingerbreads, or “gingies” as she called them, were her favorite.
Dorothy’s other passions included dancing, Scrabble, St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball and her animals. When it came to dancing, she’d drive all over Perry County in search of a dance partner if a favorite local band was playing.
