May Dorn

REMEMBERING CLAY

Remembering May Dorn at 92

Her maiden name was Sparrow. How well her name fitted her. She was born on May 23, 1923 and loved birds – in fact all animals. At her funeral last month, many stories were told of her involvement in nature, politics, the environment, the Town of Clay, Immanuel Church, her family and the world. Her life touched others in all these areas. One never knows all the aspects of another’s life, but when friends and family spoke at her funeral, unknown stories were revealed. Her first involvement with animals was as a young child, the youngest of the siblings, when she was instructed to keep the birds away from the cherry tree but without hurting them. In the morning, she would have her toast and coffee while watch nature start the day when she got older. She kept the squirrels from the bird feeder, watched the deer come right to her back door where they would receive snacks, and other small creatures coming from the woods behind her farm house. When her 15 year old daughter spent a summer with her, May brought her to our farm several times to feed and tend our sheep, goats and pigs. Nona said that experience got her into the college she wanted and to her present job. Another granddaughter spoke of getting home made goat cheese from our farm 30 years ago. May was very passionate about her political life and was a staunch Democrat being honored for her work with the Party. She even went to Washington to fight for Clay against a garbage burning facility in the town. She said we had to place for one. It was said she had a personal correspondence with the Clintons. And, she was definitely going to vote absentee for Hilary before she passed on. As a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, she worked with others putting on dinners to raise money for an elevator for the church. When that was accomplished, she continued by raising money for a handicapped bathroom.

Dorothy Heller, Historian