Dorothy I. Rankins passed away on March 15, 2013 in Mobile. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold C. Rankins.
Mrs. Rankins received her B.S. from Rochester Institute of Technology in June of 1951, and was married following her graduation.
She was a registered record librarian at hospitals in Rochester, Elmira and Buffalo, N.Y. She served as the acting chief RRL at Buffalo General Hospital.
She later became a legal secretary for the law firm of Nesper and McElvein in Buffalo. Upon Mr. Rankins’ transfer to Kansas City, Mo., she became an employee of General Motors’ Motors Insurance Corporation division. She was transferred to MIC, Norfolk, VA. when Mr. Rankins was transferred to that area.
Upon their return from five years residence in Montreal, Mrs. Rankins spent seven years with the U.S. Department of Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey near her home in Reston, Va. She later became the senior administrative aide to the quality control manager at Unisys Defense Systems, also located in Reston. She held this position until June 1991 when she and Mr. Rankins retired to Daphne.
Mrs. Rankins had a lifelong love of music of all types, and had sung in church choirs and as a soloist in every previous community where she resided. She was a member and board member of the Reston Chorale for more than 10 years.
She was one of the founding members and president of the Eastern Shore Choral Society.
She did a great deal of volunteer work in every church wherever she lived. She was a Stephen Minister.
She was a member of Fairhope Chapter #127 Order of Eastern Star; member and past president of Mobile Assembly Social Order of the Beauceant #257; member of Mobile Court #7 Order of the Amaranth; and a past queen of Mobile Temple #109, Daughters of the Nile.
She was also a member of both Lake Forest Garden Club, and a past president of the Lake Forest Women’s Club. She was also a member of Welcome Newcomers, Daphne Women’s Study Club and past president and past secretary of the National Association of Retired and Active Federal Employees Eastern Shore Chapter #814. She served two years as the NARFE Federation Secretary and also served as one of the two assistant secretaries at the NARFE National Convention held in Houston in 1997. She was given awards both from NARFE National and Unisys Defense Systems for her work in both organizations.
A memorial service will be held at Wolfe-Bayview Funeral Home in Fairhope on Wednesday, April 17, 2013, at 11 a.m. Visitation will be held from 10 until 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Shriner’s Hospitals for Children and sent to ABBA Shrine Center, 7701 Hitt Road, Mobile, AL 36695.
Arrangements by Wolfe-Bayview Funeral Home & Crematory, Fairhope.
