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About this episode

Dora was born on October 8th 1927 in Fort Myers Florida. She was the youngest of three children born to Orval and Alice Sloan. Her sister Alouise was oldest and Brother Stephen (called Junior by the family) was the only boy. Dora was married at age 15 to Robert Connell and had Patricia at 16. Robert went to war and returned and in the years to follow, Linda Joyce, Robert Jr (Bob) and Penny were born. Robert developed alcoholism and had other problems and the two divorced around 1960. Dora was a woman with four children to support and she did not have even a high school education. She was determined to better her life. In the next few years she earned her GED (graduation equivalent diploma) and eventually applied to college. Over the next few years, she received an AA degree from Edison community college, A BA and eventually an MA from the University of South Florida. Penny was the only one left at home when she went to USF, so Dora and her youngest moved to Tampa to complete her education. Over the years, Dora worked as a waitress and bartender to support her children. She also worked at Sunland Training Center in Fort Myers. This was a facility for developmentally disabled children (called retarded at the time). It was there, she decided to pursue a career teaching children with developmental challenges. Her degrees are in special education and she began by teaching severely handicapped children in Tarpon Springs at The Open Door School. A year was considered a success if a student could learn to write their name over the course of that year. Most of her career was spent at Shady Hills Elementary in Spring Hill Florida. She taught Special Education there until she retired in 1991. After retirement, Dora relocated to Fort Myers and for the remainder of her life, lived in a small residence, built for her on Joyce's property. In the last few years, Joyce was her primary care giver and the whole family owes her a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. Dora’s love life was a rocky road. She was married and divorced three times in her life. She never did find happiness with a partner. Her life was her family. She was a worrier, second to none. She wanted all her family to be happy, healthy and loved. With a family as large as hers, this is impossible. With four children, eight grandchildren, twelve great grandchildren and accompanying spouses, Dora always had someone to fret over. This was true up to the day she died. Other than family and her career, her great passions included American History, particularly, the revolutionary war. In 2005 Dora traveled to Washington D.C. with Bob and Margo, Patricia, Joyce and Penny. Dora was wheeled around D.C. by her children and managed to visit the sights and monuments which meant the most to her. She was extremely patriotic and loved her country and it's history. She loved animals, particularly cats but had a soft heart for any animal in need. She could not bear to see one in pain or hungry. Another of her passions was gardening. For Mother's day this year, the family gathered to update and replant her bromeliad garden. She had recently started seedling citrus in pots and though they were only inches tall, she laughingly called it her grove. One of her Granddaughters, Kristin, lives in Oakland California (right next door to San Francisco). Joyce and Penny flew with Dora to San Francisco in July 2010. They spent a week and Dora crossed off several bucket list items. These include; eating Dungeness crab on the wharf, riding down CA 1 (Big Sur), seeing the cable cars, redwoods and dipping her toes in the Pacific. This last was quite a chore as Dora was wheelchair bound with limited mobility. A beach was found close to the road in Carmel on the way to the Big Sur. Joyce and Kristin on each side supported Dora the several yards to the beach. Penny carried her wheelchair. The day was cold and the water was frigid, but it was a glorious day when she dipped her toes in the Pacific. Dora’s life was far from easy. She raised four children by herself and acquired an education in a time when higher education for women was often frowned upon. She was tough when she had to be but had a kind and loving heart. She was a trail blazer, being one of the first in her family to attend college. She was stubborn, tenacious and passionate about what she believed was right and wrong. Her passing has caused great sorrow. She will be missed but she will be remembered and in each of her progeny a small piece of her lives on.

• Release Date

  Jul 13, 2011

• Runtime

  24:29