Only a week earlier Dodie had undergone surgery to repair her aortic valve, and the surgery apparently had been a success. But the day she was released she collapsed in her home and never woke up. Dorothy Kohl was 74. I was asked by Sue to do the eulogy at Dodie’s funeral Aug. 29 at the majestic Alice Millar Chapel on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, Ill. I thought readers might find my remarks to be of some interest.
Here’s what I said:
“Dodie Kohl was an extraordinary individual. If by luck you had any contact with her you were highly privileged. In the words of her loyal and devoted friend and companion, Sue: ‘Dodie had a big heart; in many respects too big.’ She trusted everyone, and she was open with everyone she met and treated them with the utmost respect. She approached life in a measured and mature manner. She was the real deal.
My son-in-law, Gerry, and myself first met Dodie and Sue on a golf course one summer 14 years ago at the Willow Hill Golf Club in Northbrook, Ill., better known by many avid golfers in Chicago as what is termed ‘The Dump.’ That’s because the club was built on a reclaimed sanitary landfill. It’s a popular place, and there are all sorts of golfers who play there. One Sunday, Gerry and I arrived at Willow Hill, and course officials paired us with two ladies we had never met.
I’ll never forget our first meeting! Dodie and Sue looked at us with obvious apprehension, while we were not necessarily overjoyed to be playing with two women we didn’t know. As the round progressed, it became obvious that both Sue and Dodie could hold their own on any golf course. Gerry and I were quite impressed with their skills. When the round ended, we shook hands and said that some day we hoped that we could play again together.
And guess what happened? The very next week, quite by happenstance, we were paired as a foursome again with Sue and Dodie and every Sunday from that time on for the past 14 years we have played together every Sunday, spring, summer and fall. For Gerry and me it has been a rich and rewarding relationship. Sue and Dodie became cherished friends of ours. Without being overly dramatic, I personally believe there was a higher power that brought us all together.
So as we come together to honor Dodie, we should all rejoice because I believe that Dodie is now where she belongs, in the hands of God. What a woman, and what a great set of values! It was always about family and friends and making sure the ones she loved were safe and secure.
You could tell a lot about Dodie by the way she played golf. She played by the rules, she was courteous and thoughtful to those she played with, and, if she was playing in a tournament, she was a true competitor and played fair.
Dodie was a schoolteacher. She and Sue shared that noble profession. Dodie began teaching at Old Orchard Junior High in Skokie the year it opened and remained for 37 years. She also had an avid interest in the theater.
Talking about Dodie’s life without mentioning Northwestern University and her total devotion to this great institution would be an unforgivable omission. She graduated with her BA from Northwestern in 1960, and was a totally devoted alumnus, especially to the athletic teams. She was an avid fan of both men’s and women’s teams in all sports. She was so enamored with the legacy of football coach Randy Walker and his successor, Pat Fitzgerald, whom she felt were both true to the ideal of nurturing student athletes so they were not only successful on the football field but also learned life’s lessons so they could graduate and succeed in their chosen professions. That’s why she took so much pride in being part of the Northwestern family and all the teams that represented the purple and white.
My daughter, Kathy, who works in the NU ticket office, described Dodie this way, ‘She was always so nice when she requested tickets, and it was a pleasure for me to always see her smiling face. She was so special.’
She sure was. She always made you feel better just for having spent time with her.
So goodbye, my friend. I look forward to when you and Sue and Gerry and myself can all get together again and play a round of golf at a location yet to be determined, although I have been told that where you are the fairways are lush and devoid of traps, and the greens are absolutely true. What fun it will be!”
More From Chuck Lauer:
Chuck Lauer: A Simple Solution to Fall For
Chuck Lauer: Accountability
Chuck Lauer: In Memory of Ruth Rothstein
