Dot King of Santa Ana, California, died September 15 at the age of 80 after a brief illness. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Born in Edgartown, she was the daughter of Frank and E. Irene Vieara. For the first 75 years of her life she resided on the Island, living in various towns briefly, but her heart belonged to West Tisbury where she lived the majority of her life.
She will best be remembered for her long-held position as Ranger Dot for the Trustees of the Reservations at the Long Point gatehouse parking lot For more than 20 years, together with her son George, she was always there to welcome you back, welcome you as a first-timer visitor, and yes, sell those memberships.
She was a very determined woman and the word “can’t” was not in her vocabulary, from caring for her son George after his automobile accident, losing her eyesight and even relocating with her son to California at age 75, she never wavered from her goals once her mind was made up. She enjoyed life to its fullest!
One of her greatest pleasures was knitting afghans as gifts. Even after losing her eyesight, she remained an avid knitter, donating numerous afghans to the veterans at the Bedford V.A. Medical Hospital, her own way of thanking the veterans for their service to our country. One of her other pleasures was decorating the yard at Pin Oak Circle for the Christmas Holiday season, first doing it herself and later with the help of her sons. Her yard “glowed” every year, a tradition that she continued at her home in Santa Ana.
She was predeceased by her husband, George W. King Sr., and her parents, Frank and E. Irene Vieara, her sister Rita Rogers and brothers Francis, William, and Edward Vieara.
She is survived by her children: George W. King Jr. of Santa Ana, Calif., Deborah Willoughby and her husband, Edmund, of Oak Bluffs; Theresa King and her husband, Joseph Cedillo, of Santa Ana; and Grafton King and Robert King, both of Oak Bluffs; her three grandchildren, Cheranne and Edmund Willoughby of Oak Bluffs, Timothy King of California; and her great granddaughter; Keira Anne Willoughby of Oak Bluffs. She is also survived by her sister Irene Vieara of Vineyard Haven and sisters‑in‑law Doreena Brouillette of Vineyard Haven and Kay Vieara of East Bay, Nova Scotia, and numerous nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday, October 30, at 12 noon at the West Tisbury Cemetery. Her family will host a celebration of her life immediately following at the Holy Ghost Society. Arrangements are under the care of Chapman, Cole and Gleason Funeral Home of Oak Bluffs.
In lieu of flowers the family requested that donations be made in her memory to the Vineyard Nursing Association, Attn: Amy Houghton, Box 399 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
