February 4, 1932 – July 2, 2022
Dorothy Amelia Lewis was born in Linwood, PA on February 4, 1932, the fourth child of O. Herbert Lewis and Adell Bryant Lewis. Eventually, the house would be filled with three more siblings, seven children in all. Life was not easy in the early 1930’s, but they were blessed with love, health, humor and hard work. When Dot was 14, she joined the Seventh-day Adventist church. She graduated from Philadelphia Academy in 1950 and attended Madison College (Madison, TN) to major in elementary education. Her college education was interrupted for several years to teach grades 1-8 in a one-room schoolhouse where some of the students were almost her age.
Once back in college, Dot worked part-time in the Madison Sanitarium kitchen where she met Don Riffel. They would chat while they washed dishes together and do a little hand-holding under the suds. Their romance blossomed quickly and they were married on June 24, 1956. Three little girls were born to them over the next 6 years. As a family, they enjoyed hiking, camping, singing and spending time together.
For 21 years, Dot worked as an elementary school teacher in the Adventist education system. The children loved her. She taught in Baltimore MD, Martinsburg WV, Corry PA, Savannah TN, Bryant AL, Albany GA, Macon GA, Greensboro NC, Lawrenceburg TN and Lumberton MS. After retiring from teaching, she worked in a florist shop for a short time and then as a CNA in Hattiesburg MS. The family then moved to Fletcher NC where she was employed by Fletcher Hospital in the emergency room and then later in Medical Records. In 1983, she and Don moved to central Florida where she worked for the Orange County Clerk’s office for 13 years until retirement in February 1997.
In 1998, Don lost his battle with cancer. Although Dot found it extremely difficult to go on without him, her retirement was filled with volunteer work for hospice, caring for her grandsons, spending time with her daughters, attending church functions, and volunteering as a pen pal for prison ministries where she wrote letters to inmates to encourage them.
Dot was a loving, attentive wife, mother, and grandmother with a quick wit and a strong, independent spirit. Her favorite activity was spending time with her children and grandchildren. She is survived by her children Pam (David) Doll, Cherie Riffel, and Teria (Jim) Glass, her grandchildren Ryan (Robyn) Glass, Kyle (Maria) Glass, Cody Doll, Jonathan Doll, her great grandson Riley Glass, her sisters Bernice Pinkowicz, Ann Shahadi, Adell Vinson, Trudy Knopp, and a host of nieces and nephews.
The funeral service will be held on July 13 at Baldwin Fairchild Funeral home, 90 Weathersfield Avenue, Altamonte Springs, FL. Visitation begins at 10:30 am, followed by the service at 11:00 am and the graveside service at 1:00 pm.