December 2007 - Seventh Day Baptist | General Conference of the ...

ObituariesWhitlock.—Albert “Al” QuitmanWhitlock, 86, of Murrieta, Calif.,passed away on February 16,2007, at his home, following abrief illness. His wife and twosons were at his side.Al was born on July 10, 1920 inEl Centro, Calif., the son of Thomasand Gertrude Whitlock.When he was a teenager, Al spentsummers with his uncles and workedon cattle ranches in and aroundTemecula, Calif. He loved horses andhad his own, often riding in rodeos.In 1942, he accompanied theHawaiian Constructors for a year,building airfield runways in theHawaiian Islands.In June of 1944, he married DorothySevere. In August of that sameyear, he was drafted into the U.S.Army Infantry and sent to Okinawain the Pacific. At the end of the war,he was deployed to South Korea asa Staff Sergeant with the Army Engineersto build roads and bridges.While in the service, Al receivedthe Purple Heart and Army Commendationmedals.In 1960, Al moved his familyto Riverside, Calif., where he spent30 years working for the State ofCalifornia, mostly for the Departmentof Forestry. When he retired,he was automotive supervisorin charge of maintenance of heavyfire-fighting equipment for theSouthern California Region.Al joined the Riverside SeventhDay Baptist Church in 1959.He served in various capacities, includingchurch president, SabbathSchool teacher, president of the PacificCoast Association, supporterof Pacific Pines Camp, and a faithfulusher and greeter for many years.He was greatly admired and lovedby all, including children and youngpeople. He was noted for his attentionto newcomers, helping them feelcomfortable so they would quickly fitinto church life. He was a generous,caring person, always helpingsomeone—whether at home,work, or church.Al was an avid outdoorsman.He was also a Boy Scout leader,and loved golfing, fishing, hunting,and camping with friendsand family. When his grandsonsbegan playing hockey, he becameone of their most faithful fans.Survivors include his wife of62 years, Dorothy; two sons, Billand Ken; one sister, Maxine; twobrothers, Tom and Bob; threegrandsons; one great-grandson;and several nephews and nieces.Funeral services were held onFebruary 22, 2007, at the RiversideSDB Church, with Pastor GabrielBejjani officiating. Burial wasin the Riverside National Cemetery.VanHorn.—Dorcas A. VanHorn,94, died on October 22, 2007, atAdel (Iowa) Acres Care Center ofcomplications from Alzheimer’s.She was a former resident of Westerly,R.I., and Dade City, Fla.Dorcas was born on November20, 1912, in Pawcatuck, Conn., thedaughter of John H. and Annabelle(Dixon) Austin. After graduatingfrom Stonington (Conn.) HighSchool, she attended ConnecticutCollege. She later graduated fromSalem (W.Va.) College.On July 18, 1937, Dorcas marriedElston H. VanHorn in Westerly. Theycelebrated their 50th wedding anniversaryjust six months prior to hisdeath in 1987.Throughout her adult life, Dorcaswas active in Westerly area communityorganizations. She was a memberof the Westerly College Club andMonday Club. She served as a memberand officer of the Westerly HospitalAid Association, and both sheand her husband were members ofthe hospital’s Board of Incorporators.Dorcas also was a board memberof the Adult Day Care Center.Both Dorcas and Elston volunteeredat the Westerly Public Library,where Dorcas worked as an assistantlibrarian prior to her marriage.As a lifelong member of the PawcatuckSeventh Day Baptist Churchof Westerly, Dorcas served whereverneeded. She often joked that her epitaphwould read, “And Dorcas wasin charge of the games.”She was a high-energy amateurentertainer. Her dramatic readingsand comedic caricatures at clubmeetings, banquets, and other publicevents were an outlet for her performingarts college education.In recent years, Dorcas enjoyedthe companionship of HowardKuehn of Hopkinton City, R.I., andDade City, until her illness requiredher move to Iowa in 2006.Survivors include one son, Jared,of Waukee, Iowa; a special “adopteddaughter,” Barbara Nugent of Westerly;and two granddaughters, fourgreat-grandchildren, three nieces,and three nephews. In addition toher husband, she was predeceasedby one sister, Elizabeth Pulver, andone brother, Alexander.Interment of cremains will takeplace in Evergreen Cemetery, Albion,Wis., at a later date.Death NoticesCirina A. Salmon, 61, ofBrooklyn, N.Y., died on April13, 2006.Delores J. (Jacobs) Hurley,75, of Appleton, Wis., diedon August 31, 2007.Robert J. Cartwright,56, of Scio, N.Y., died on September28, 2007.Ilou (Miars) Sanford,79, of Milton, Wis., died onNovember 4, 2007.December 200725