DOROTHY ANNE (BAURES) WILL
DOROTHY ANNE (BAURES) WILL
Dorothy Anne (Baures) Will, 92, of Black River Falls, WI, passed away peacefully Oct. 11, 2023.
She lived life boldly with love, humor and a drive to care for others. She celebrated events big and small, chased nephews and nieces down for goodbye kisses, cried and laughed with ease and fought passionately for fairness and equity.
Dorothy was born March 4, 1931, and grew up in Fairchild, WI, the eldest of seven children born to Ethel (Reineke) and Arthur Baures. During high school, she worked as bookkeeper and cashier at the Fairchild Farmers Union Co-op.
In 1951 she met Denver Charles Will and began a loving relationship that included 66 years of marriage and the raising of six very lucky children. Dorothy and Denver delighted in the company and life events of their children, grandchildren, great- and great-great grandchildren.
The 1960 birth of their third child, Ron, who had Down syndrome, changed everything. Ron was a true treasure and became the impetus for Dorothy’s life-long advocacy for people with developmental disabilities.
Having more energy than is reasonable for a human being, she tirelessly managed family, friends, career and volunteer roles. Finding no appropriate services to help them navigate the challenges they faced in raising Ron, Dorothy made the connections, gained the education, raised the money and went about building programs for individuals and families in need.
With the help of many gracious and dedicated people who worked alongside her, most notably her devoted husband, services grew. In 1967, she and a small group founded the Jackson County ARC and after several years of volunteer work, she was hired as director of the Jackson County Day Care Center/Training and Employment Center. There she developed programs in daily living skills, reading, counting, language/psychomotor/behavioral development, job training and birth-to-three intervention services.
She also impacted state-wide services with an appointment by Wisconsin Governor Patrick Lucey in 1974 to a committee advising the Department of Health and Social Services on program standards for the developmentally disabled population. Additionally, she was appointed by Jackson County to two terms on the Western Wisconsin Health Systems Agency, serving as secretary and then chairman of the Administrative Committee where she helped develop the Black River Child Care Center and the Meals on Wheels program.
In 1976 she was hired as director of the Developmental Disabilities Agency, which was created to support the expanding services offered by the county and state. In 1986 the agency was integrated into the Jackson County Human Services, where she continued her work until she retired in 1993.
One of her most noteworthy achievements was transitioning individuals out of state institutions and into group homes and supervised living. The first group home was opened in 1976 and within several years, Jackson County became the first county in Wisconsin to move all eligible individuals into suitable homes in the community.
She gained local and state recognition with an ARC Wisconsin Memorial Award, a Humanitarian Award, a Distinguished Achievement Award, a Rotary Club Service Above Self Award, and a Women in History Award.
After retirement, she continued volunteering with the Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC), Jackson County Aging Advisory Committee, and The Connection/Lutheran Social Services.
She is preceded in death by husband Denver, son Ronald, brother Ben, sisters Ardis and Pauline, and great-grandson Connor.
She will be missed greatly by daughters Debra, Tamara and Patricia; sons Jeffrey and Jon; sisters Evelyn and Goldine; brother Henry; 10 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandsons; as well as numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
At Dove Healthcare in Osseo, WI, she reunited with old friends and made many new ones, giving her treasured opportunities for laughter and shenanigans. The wonderful staff at Dove couldn’t have been more kind to her. They, along with staff at Mayo Hospital in Osseo, lovingly cared for the entire family during the final stage of Dorothy’s life.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, Guardian Angels Parish at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 505 Main St., Black River Falls, WI 54615, with Father Arivu Mariappan officiating. Visitation at the Church will begin at 9:30 a.m. Funeral service will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by burial in Riverside Cemetery, Black River Falls, and luncheon at the church.
In lieu of flowers, please consider carrying on her kindness by donating to a charity of your choice.
Please visit www.cremationsociety-wi.com for full obituary.