Did you have a good friend you never met? That was the case with me and Dorothy Misleh. We became friends in 2014 and have spoken and written ever since. Dorothy remained young at heart even when she was 102.
I last spoke to her around Christmas 2024. She talked about donating an unused grave at Forest Home Cemetery to a family in need. She also planned to donate a child-sized Roos cedar chest to the Forest Park Historical Society.
That was Dorothy — generous to the end. She passed away on Jan. 19, 2025 after a brief stay in hospice. I’m going to miss our lively conversations and the cards she always sent me for birthdays and Christmas.
Dorothy first contacted me as a member of the historical society to research the house her grandfather had built at 419 Hannah. I compiled a list of the property owners through the years and took some photographs of the exterior. In response, Dorothy made a donation to the historical society.
She also kept up her subscription to the Review. This is remarkable, considering she moved out of Forest Park in 1943. That year, Dorothy moved to Miami to stay with an aunt and uncle. There she met her husband, Roger Misleh, who started a successful TV business. They had three children and the couple later retired to Ocala, Florida.
Dorothy liked to talk about how pleasant Florida weather was. She was also proud that Ocala was “horse country.” Thoroughbreds are brought from all over the world to train there. Mostly, we talked about Forest Park. She knew more about current events than most residents.
I enjoyed our conversations and loved Dorothy’s young-sounding voice. She sounded like she was in her 30s. She continued to live in her own house, thanks to her daughter, Ruth Ann, who visited daily. Dorothy was active with her church and supported local organizations.
In recent years, she cut back on activities but was always forward-thinking. She gave me an assignment to find out about her family plot in Forest Home Cemetery. I was assisted in my search by Forest Home’s Grace Robbins, who found the plot that was purchased by Dorothy’s dad, Loyal Nelson.
She gave me its location and a survey that showed one of the four graves was empty. I told Grace that Dorothy wished to donate the unused grave, and she gave me an Affidavit of Heirship for her to sign.
She was grateful to the Review for keeping her informed. Her local newspaper was cutting back on its coverage, and Dorothy believed local journalism is vital, which is why she donated $25 to Growing Community Media.
Though she moved from town many years ago, Dorothy never stopped caring about Forest Park. She had wonderful memories of attending Garfield School, Middle School, and Proviso High School. She was told at the time that graduating from Proviso was the equivalent of completing freshman year of college.
I will miss my talks with Dorothy. I’ll miss her cards, her letters, her generous spirit. Her daughter finally cancelled the subscription to the Review. The print version of the newspaper was Dorothy’s only link because she never owned a computer.
Dorothy’s gifts of the grave and the hope chest are not finalized, but the process is underway. Her daughter said, “My mom was thrilled knowing they’re going to a good cause.”
I never made it to Ocala to see Dorothy. I have never seen a photo of her. But I felt her spirit.
Dorothy Misleh was the best friend I never met.
