The Californian; Temecula CA; 2007-3-11

Dorothy Lake, 83

SUN CITY ---- Dorothy May Lake, 83, died at her home Monday, March
5, 2007.

Born Oct. 19, 1923, in Handsworth Woodhouse, Sheffield, Yorkshire,
England, she lived in Sun City for many years. She served in the Royal
Air Force during World War II. She immigrated to the United States and
became a U.S.  citizen. She was employed by American Airlines for 25 years
in their communications division. She was very interested in literature
and was employed post-retirement in a popular bookstore in Big Bear Lake.

Mrs. Lake was preceded in death by her son, Anthony, in 1950; her parents;
sisters Kathleen Gee and Mary Gee Clay.

She is survived by son and daughter-in-law, James and Janice Taylor Lake;
daughter, Kathleen; sister, Miriam Gee Beere of Mansfield.

A celebration of her life is planned at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 17,
at her home in Sun City.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends make donations
to the Sun City Library by indicating on the "memo" for their check or
money order "Dorothy Lake Mystery Fund." Contact the head librarian for
Sun City, Nancy Smith, (951) 672-3534, for information or mail donations
to the library at 26982 Cherry Hills, Sun City, CA 92586.


Dorothy May Lake

Dorothy May Lake (nee Gee) was born October 19, 1923, in Handsworth
Woodhouse, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England and lived throughout her
childhood in Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire. Upon moving from
Yorkshire, the Gee family lived at 15 Little Debdale Lane and later
moved to the 200-year-old row house at 12 Hall Farm Cottages on Debdale
Lane, where the family remained for many decades. Dorothy was the
eldest daughter of William Gee and Ethel Brummit Gee (of Nottingham)
and William, her father, proudly worked in the local Mansfield coal
pits. Dorothy attended Broomhill School, and later, Rosemary Street
School in Mansfield and then worked briefly at the Blue Mills Stocking
Factory in Mansfield before enlisting in the Royal Air Force during World
War II. Her military training in communications took her to Ceylon (now
Sri Lanka) where she met her future husband, U.S. Army Captain William
Scott Lake of Wisconsin. The couple returned to England and were married
in Mansfield in 1947.

Dorothy immigrated to the United States shortly after her marriage and
became a U.S. citizen, though she always retained a great love of her
mother country, family and the British people. Dorothy and Bill had three
children, James born in 1948, Anthony (who died shortly after birth in
1950), and Kathleen born in 1951.

Following her separation from William Lake in the late 1950's, Dorothy
moved to Los Angeles and joined the staff of American Airlines working for
25 years in their communications division. Always a diligent and loyal
employee, her successful career allowed her to purchase a lovely home
in Sun City, California, midway between Los Angeles and Palm Springs,
California, and working for American Airlines allowed her to travel
freely and often between the U.S. and the U.K.

Dorothy's most compelling interest was literature which led not only
to a budding interest in writing, but a post-retirement position in a
very popular bookstore in Big Bear Lake, California. Her sparkling wit,
innate Northern English charm, and keen understanding of her favorite
genre (the British police procedural murder mystery) won her an avid
following of inspired local writers and readers.

Dorothy's intelligence and character compelled her to always act according
to her conscience and she was well ahead of her time in her rejection of
racial prejudice and classism. As she struggled to support two children
on her own in the 1950s and 60s she remained always an example of the
work ethic and "backbone" she learned as a working class coal miner's
daughter in Mansfield. Dorothy passed away at her home in Sun City
on March 5, 2007. She was 83 years old. She died as she had lived,
fiercely independent, intensely loved by her family and friends, and
courageous to a fault and passed with her devoted daughter, Kathleen,
at her bedside. Dorothy Lake leaves a large number of family and friends
who will never fill the void she has left in passing, but who know that
when she left this world she felt cherished by all who were lucky enough
to know her.

Dorothy leaves her son James and his family, Janice Taylor Lake
and grandchildren Gavin and Lauren Lake, her daughter Kathleen and
daughter-in-law Susan Goodwin. She is also survived by her much loved
sister, Miriam Gee Beere of Mansfield and nieces Lynn Beere Sturman
and family and Melanie Beere Hannand and family, both of Mansfield; her
nephew, Steven Clay of Wrexham, Oxfordshire and his family and niece,
Susan Clay Roberts of Ruabon, Wales and her family. She is preceded in
death by her parents, two sisters Kathleen Gee and Mary Gee Clay and
two wonderful brothers-in-law, Jack Beere of Mansfield and Matthew Clay
of Cheshire.

The list of mourners for Dorothy is long both sides of the Atlantic
and her humor, adventurous spirit, courage and "True Grit" will not be
forgotten.  Those persons who wish to contact Dorothy's children may do
so by emailing them at lakefamilyresearch@yahoo.com. Rather than having
a memorial service (Dorothy detested funerals) her family is hosting
a celebration of her life on March 17 at 12:30 p.m. at their mother's
home in Sun City. In lieu of flowers the family requests that friends
make donations to the Sun City Library by indicating on the "memo" for
their check or money order "Dorothy Lake Mystery Fund." You may contact
the head Librarian for Sun City, Nancy Smith, at (951) 672-3534 for more
information or mail your donation directly to the library at 26982 Cherry
Hills, Sun City, CA 92586.

In Memoriam