Obituary of Dorothy Forchuk

FORCHUK, Dorothy Mae - Peacefully on Friday, December 18, 2020 at Fox Ridge Care Community, Brantford ON, Dorothy Mae Forchuk, nee Dennis in her 86th year; predeceased by her beloved husband William Herbert Hughes 2005; previously married to Marshall Charles Forchuk; cherished mother of Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, Marsha Skrypuch and her husband Dr. Orest Skrypuch; cherished step-mother of Mandy Furler and her husband Terry, predeceased by her cherished step-daughter Karen Dargie (Phil); beloved grandmother of Ian Smits and wife Maria, Robin Smits, Neil Skrypuch and Callista Forchuk. Loving sister of Wilfred Dennis, Jean Henderson and Patti-Jo Wright. Fondly remembered by extended family and friends. Dorothy was a passionate reader and every room of her house was brimming with books. She said they kept her warm. Raising her two daughters on her own, she instilled in them a love of learning and of books. Dorothy was with the Brantford Red Cross for nearly four decades, and during her time as the Executive Director she oversaw many community programs like Meals on Wheels, Christmas Baskets and blood donor clinics. She initiated the For Widows program after seeing the need within the community. In addition to her professional work with the Red Cross, Dorothy was heavily involved in volunteering, heading up the local Red Cross Emergency Response Team. In that role she was flown to disaster sites to assist in recovery, including wildfires in northern Manitoba where she cared for a group of Indigenous Elders, and post tornado assistance in the southern US where she lived in a tent for weeks while assisting others. During Brantford’s 1974 Grand River flood, Dorothy organized the food for all the tireless volunteers who were putting down sandbags to stop the flood. In 1982, Dorothy married William Hughes, the love of her life. They shared a love of the waltz and the twist, travel, laughter, and family. Bill was also a long-time volunteer with the Red Cross, assisting with Meals on Wheels and doing the exterior maintenance of the Red Cross property on William Street. When the heritage building had to be upgraded to meet safety and accessibility standards, Dorothy and Bill assisted with charity bingos for years to raise the money. Dorothy and Bill traveled the world and they enjoyed the planning almost as much as the trips themselves, but no matter how remote their destination, Dorothy always found a Catholic church so she wouldn’t miss Sunday Mass. Dorothy kept extensive notes on all of their trips and would share these with friends so they could follow in their footsteps. Dorothy was recognized for her service over the years, receiving honours locally, provincially and nationally. Dorothy had many animal companions over the years, including dogs, cats, fish and birds, but above all she loved her grand-dog, Coen, and he was just as devoted to her. Those who knew Dorothy will remember her positive outlook. Her favourite saying, even in the face of the most daunting obstacles was, “And the good thing about this is …” Special thanks to the dedicated Forest Grove care team at Fox Ridge Care Community and also to Linda Yaremy Barker, her long-time personal caregiver. Because of Covid-19, friends and family are invited to a virtual service at the BECKETT-GLAVES FAMILY FUNERAL CENTRE, at 1p.m. Wednesday December 23, 2020. The Webcast, donations and condolences are available online at www.beckettglaves.com. Cremation to follow. Donations may be made to the Brant County SPCA or the Alzheimer Society of Brant. We kindly ask that you do not send flowers, due to the pandemic.