Dorothy Marie (White) Vapenik

Dorothy (nee White) Vapenik, age 102, died on September 9, 2020.

Dorothy was born in Rogers City, Michigan, on June 25th, 1918, to the late Arthur and Lydia White. She attended Saint Ignatius Elementary School in Rogers City through Grade 8 and graduated from Rogers City High School in 1936. She moved to Detroit and graduated from Mercy College of Nursing as a registered nurse in1939.

After graduation, she worked as an industrial nurse in Detroit and moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and married the late Jerry Vapenik. Dorothy was a stay at home mom raising one daughter. In 1950, Dorothy and her family moved to Lorain, Ohio, where she spent the next 42 years. She was an avid bingo player at the Reynoldsburg Senior Center and she enjoyed knitting and crocheting and gave many of her works away to friends and those in need.

Dorothy was an active member of Lorain Saint Mary Parish and also enjoyed her active membership in the ladies Altar and Rosary Society. For two years, she enjoyed being a band parent making sure the bus arrived on time at Saint Mary Academy during football season. This ensured that band members arrived at their destination on time, for both local and out of town football games.

Dorothy returned to nursing and was employed at Lorain Community Hospital for several years, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

In 1992, she moved to Columbus, Ohio, where her grandson was attending college. In 1987, she moved with her daughter and grandson to Reynoldsburg, Ohio, a Columbus suburb, where she spent the remainder of her years living with her daughter and grandson.

She is survived by her daughter, Sharon (nee Vapenik) Abrajano of Reynoldsburg, Ohio; a grandson and a cousin.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Lydia White; her husband, Jerry Vapenik; and longtime friend, Gertrude (nee Plath) Belz. Gertrude stated kindergarten with Dorothy and continued her nurses training at Detroit’s Mercy College of Nursing, graduating in 1940. Gertrude and Dorothy remained lifelong friends until Gertrude’s death in 2008.

Due to the current health pandemic, Funeral Rites will be private with a graveside service to be held at Calvary Cemetery in Lorain, Ohio. Funeral arrangements and services by Reidy-Scanlan-Giovannazzo Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Lorain. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions, if any, be made in memory of Valerie Vandegriff and Alexandra Taylor Rowe to Columbus Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205.

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