Dorothea ''Dottie'' F. Bland

BLAND, Dorothea ?Dottie? Kalamazoo Dottie left to be with her Lord and Savior, Sunday evening, January 14, 2007, following a lengthy illness. Dottie was born in Logan County, WV to Manuel Fernandez, a Chilean immigrant, and Kizzie Mae Clark. Times were hard until Mr. and Mrs. Flippen, a local couple, took special interest in Dottie and helped her enter Davis Stuart School, an orphanage in Lewisburg, WV. There, she got the education and care a young girl deserves. She made many friends at Davis Stuart and remembered them all fondly. Dottie met her husband, Cecil, at Greenbriar High School in Lewisburg. They married July 1, 1950 and moved to Kalamazoo, to make their home and start a family. Dottie enjoyed life with her family and friends and spent many days cooking great meals and baking delicious treats. She made a happy home for her kids and their friends; and she laughed ? a lot. Surviving are her husband, Cecil; 4 children, Michael Bland, Robert Carla Bland, Susan Bland, and Jeff Sandra Bland; and 3 grandchildren, Robbie, Kelly, Kyle Bland. Memorial services for Mrs. Bland will be at 3:00 PM on Wednesday at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Memorial Chapel, 622 S. Burdick Street, with Rev. Bufford Coe of Vicksburg United Methodist Church officiating. Friends may visit with the family on Wednesday from 2:00 PM until the time of services. As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be directed to American Diabetes Association or American Arthritis Foundation.