Obituary: Dorothy Blandford, 95, of Hamden

HAMDEN, CT - (From Beecher & Bennett Funeral Home) Dorothy Blandford was born on October 3, 1925 to Lemuel Smith and Gwendolyn Brooks.

She was the only daughter of five children. She was predeceased by her parents and her siblings: William, George, Harris “Junior,” and Albert.

Dorothy was married to the late Harry Blandford, and from that union they had three children: John Keith Blandford, Harolyn Ortiz, and the late Rachel Mae Blandford.

In 1964, Dorothy Blandford and her two children immigrated to the United States from Honduras, Central America, where she met Sydney Zeno, and later gave birth to Yvette Zeno.

Mommy, Mom, Ma, Grandma, Maria, as she was affectionately known, is predeceased by her son John Keith Blandford. She leaves behind her daughters Harolyn Ortiz, aka China (Jorge and his children), and Yvette Zeno (Troy) and their children: Amena Zeno (Elijah), Aziah Zeno, Mya Zeno (Demetrius), Tamia Williams, Aaron Williams, Eli Zeno, her great-grandchildren Shamar Zeno, Amir and Amani Zeno, and to be born Phoenix Parisse-Zeno, first cousin and ‘daughter’ Nova Bennett and her children; Cleon, Kirt and Tanya Bennett, and their wives and their children, Godson Steve Mann and his children, Goddaughter Penelope Dye and her children Raven and Bethany Dye and granddaughter Isabella – and a plethora of children and friends, too many to mention individually.

Dorothy Blandford wore many hats. She worked as part of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation staff and a dietician; a domestic housekeeper, a Certified Child Care Provider, a Certified Home Health Aide, a member of the Board of Directors to the Caribbean Women’s Health Association in Brooklyn, NY.

She was nominated to The Carib News 14th Annual Caribbean-American Mothers of the Year. Finally, Dorothy retired in 1995. She was an outstanding member of the Brooklyn Truth Center, where she participated in many events, fundraisers, and fashion shows for 40 years.

Dorothy’s smile and love could be seen and felt by all who encountered her.

Mom believed that you should put God first and foremost in your life and by doing so, you could overcome any obstacle or challenge that is presented to you. “With God, all things are possible.”

After moving to Connecticut from Brooklyn, New York, Mom was very thankful and grateful that she was introduced and accepted by the members of the First Church of God. She was consecrated as a Mother of the Church on November 30, 2014.

She was also inducted into the Widows Association of the First Church of God.

Friends are invited to visit with her family on Saturday, October 9 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Beecher & Bennett Funeral Home, 2300 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Her Funeral Service will follow, starting at 11:30 a.m. in the funeral home.