DOTTERMAN o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-04-06 published
FREEMAN,
Elizabeth
A. "
Betty"
(MOERBEEK)
At home, surrounded by her family, on Tuesday, April 4, 2006,
Elizabeth A. "Betty"
(MOERBEEK)
FREEMAN in her 66th year. Beloved
wife of Arthur
FREEMAN. Cherished mother of Brenda
DOTTERMAN
of London. Loving grandmother of Rachel, Craig and Marcus. Sister
of John MOERBEEK
(Eileen) of Goderich. Also survived by a number
of close aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Visitors
will be received on Thursday from 2: 00-4:00 and 7:00-9:00 p.m.
at the O'Neil Funeral Home, 350 William Street. The Funeral Mass
will be celebrated in St. Patrick's Church, 1251 Dundas Street
at Oakland, on Friday at 10: 00 a.m. Interment Saint Peter's Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the Charity of your choice.
D... Names DO... Names DOT... Names Welcome Home
DOTTERMAN - All Categories in OGSPI
DOTY o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-02-05 published
DOTY,
Christopher▼
Bourke
Suddenly on Friday, February 3, 2006, Christopher Bourke
DOTY,
at the age of 39 years. Beloved
son of Gwyneth and the late Kenneth
DOTY (1993.) Best friend and brother of Grant
DOTY and his wife
Holly. Proud uncle of Paige. Christopher will be sadly missed
by his aunts, uncles and cousins. Visitors will be received at
the John T. Donohue Funeral Home, 362 Waterloo Street at King
Street, London on Monday from 2-4 and 7-9 o'clock and Tuesday
morning at Metropolitan United Church, 468 Wellington Street
from 10 o'clock until the time of the Funeral Service at 11 o'clock.
Interment in Woodland Cemetery. Donations to Sunshine Dreams
for Kids would be appreciated.
D... Names DO... Names DOT... Names Welcome Home
DOTY o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-02-05 published
Chris DOTY had passion for London
By Patrick
MALONEY, Free Press Reporter, Sun., February 5, 2006
Chris DOTY, the historian whose plays and documentary films chronicled
London's past, was found dead in his home after taking his own
life. He was 39. A staple on the local cultural scene,
DOTY's
death comes just before the latest play he wrote and produced,
about London-bred pot activist Marc Emery, was to end its week-long
downtown debut run last night.
"No one knows what he was battling… Forget about the ending and
remember all the great things that led up to that," said Grant
DOTY,
Chris's▲ younger brother.
It was his love of his hometown that defined Chris
DOTY, those
who knew him best said.
"Because he loved London so much, he wanted to find things that
were interesting about it and promote it," Grant said.
Once called an "incisive, opinionated dynamo" by The Free Press,
DOTY started his own production company, Doty Docs, in 1995 and
found a niche in telling London's all-but-forgotten stories.
His work included award-winning documentaries on the Grand Theatre,
London's disastrous 1937 flood and the 1939 royal visit.
He also focused on more commercial fare, including a film Chronicling
the London Knights. In the past year, he wrote The Donnelly Trial,
about the famed local slaying of the Donnellys, and Citizen Marc,
about Emery's formative years in London.
Reached in Vancouver yesterday, Emery -- who first met
DOTY decades
ago and saw him last week at the play's premiere -- was stunned
by the news.
"He had many movies left in him to make and many, many more plays,"
said Emery, who remembers
DOTY as an intelligent, young customer
at his City Lights bookshop.
"He was a wonderful person and a great credit to the London community.
I'm honoured that his last work was the play about me."
John GERRY, who directed Citizen Marc, heard of
DOTY's death
Friday night from Jason
RIP, the play's co-writer. A pre-arranged
cast and crew party let all involved talk about
DOTY hours later,
Gerry said.
"It was pretty tough," he said. He expressed enormous respect
for DOTY's work, calling him -- in reference to a famed U.S.
documentary film maker -- "the Ken Burns of London. He presented
(stories) the best way possible, and the most honest way possible."
The cast and crew "talked… about the incredible amount of spirit
he gave (London)."
The final show of Citizen Marc's week-long run went ahead last
night, Gerry said. "I just think, you know, out of respect for
Chris -- this was his show. The actors, they wanted to do it."
Another DOTY project was the annual Brickenden Awards recognizing
achievement in London's arts community. The latest ceremony was
held Monday.
"Chris was a perfectionist. He always had high standards and
expectations for every work," brother Grant said. "Myself and
my mom were so proud of him. All the accolades he got, he deserved
every bit."
Visitation is tomorrow at the John T. Donohue Funeral Home, 2
to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. The funeral is Tuesday at Metropolitan
United Church, 11 a.m.
For Help
- Distress Centre (24 hours): 667-6711, 667-6600
- London Mental Health Crisis Service (24 hours): 433-2023.
- Canadian Mental Health Association: 434-9191.
D... Names DO... Names DOT... Names Welcome Home
DOTY o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-02-06 published
Chris DOTY revealed London
The historian and filmmaker was branching out into theatre when
he died.
By Patrick
MALONEY, Free Press Reporter, Mon., February 6, 2006
Chris DOTY's last work was also his best, say Friends left reeling
by the sudden death of the noted historian, writer and London
"treasure."
Though DOTY, 39, had spent little more than a year focused on
stage productions, his latest script -- about London-bred marijuana
activist Marc
EMERY -- pointed to a future full of theatrical
promise.
"We really did see him as having the Midas touch in theatre,"
said Jason
RIP, who with
DOTY co-wrote Citizen Marc, which ended
its debut downtown run Saturday.
"He was really savvy. That's why he was such a success."
Another of
DOTY's recent stage productions, The Donnelly Trial,
was a rousing success and
DOTY planned to reprise it this summer.
Citizen Marc was met with much praise, including by Emery himself.
But DOTY will likely be best remembered for his documentary films,
an impressive body of commercially-friendly work that chronicled
London's often unappreciated, and nearly forgotten, stories.
"He said, 'There's no point in doing something that people don't
want to see,"
RIP said. "His real skill was his ability to promote."
As a friend and valued source to news reporters,
DOTY was always
available for a short London history lesson or a sharp, funny
quote.
His sense of humour and appreciation for quirky, fascinating
facts is also clear on his website, dotydocs.com.
Its content includes a list of the city's ghost legends, a catalogue
of local Unidentified Flying Object sightings and stories of
criminals in London executed for their crimes. It also details
the storied history of such London hotspots as Wonderland Gardens
and the Seven Dwarfs restaurant.
It's clear the man who brought London history to life won't be
soon forgotten, said
RIP, who is eager to see a "fitting tribute"
to DOTY's work.
A remarkable attention to detail earned
DOTY the respect of fellow
historians.
He was cutting a similar swath in the city's theatre community,
said Patsy
MORGAN, who formerly lived with and dated
DOTY.
"He touched so many of their lives," she said yesterday. "They
all really, really respected him. There was so much for him yet
to do and I just miss my friend."
Above all, however,
DOTY had the admiration of his family, including
brother Grant and mother Gwyneth.
"I was very proud of him," Grant said Saturday. "His work was
just so superior to anything I could think of doing.
"He gave so much of himself. He truly loved London."
Visitation is today at the John T. Donohue Funeral Home from
2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. The funeral is tomorrow at Metropolitan
United Church at 11 a.m.
Definitive
DOTY
Among the work of London historian, documentary filmmaker and
playwright Chris
DOTY, 39, who died Friday:
Stage
- His scripts included The Donnelly Trial, about the unsolved
1880 massacre of the Lucan-area Donnelly clan, and Citizen Marc,
about pot activist Marc
EMERY.
- Established the Brickenden Awards, honouring the city's best
theatrical work.
Film
- In 1995, established Doty Docs, a production company to "create
and foster audio-visual projects about London's history."
- His documentaries chronicled local events, including the 1939
royal visit and the disastrous 1937 flood. They also spotlighted
city institutions, including the Grand Theatre, London Knights
and Storybook Gardens
Online
- His website, dotydocs.com, is full of quirky items about London,
from Unidentified Flying Object sightings to a biography of big-band
leader Guy
LOMBARDO.
- Two long-lost sisters separated after the 1951 London execution
of their father, Walter George
ROWE, reunited after reading
DOTY's
online story about
ROWE. "
Give
DOTY all the credit," an emotional
Georgina ROWE said.
D... Names DO... Names DOT... Names Welcome Home
DOTY o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-05-03 published
Local historian Ed
PHELPS dead at 66
Was picked up in Project Guardian probe
By Chip MARTIN, London Free Press Reporter, Wed., May 3, 2006
London's historical community is mourning the loss of its second
giant in three months.
Ed PHELPS, 66, took his own life early Tuesday, three months
after fellow historian and documentary filmmaker and playwright
Chris DOTY, 39.
For 20 years,
PHELPS was in charge of the regional-history collection
at the University of Western Ontario, where he had been a student.
PHELPS was also a charter member of Heritage London Foundation,
had written six history books and published the works of others
with his Phelps Publishing.
PHELPS retired early from the university in 1994 when he was
picked up in the Project Guardian police probe of sexual exploitation
of minors. He later pleaded guilty to paying for sexual services
of males under age 18, all street prostitutes, and was fined
In court at the time,
PHELPS was described as a man plagued by
a deep depressive condition whose life had been a curious mix
of community contribution and loneliness.
Wednesday, a fellow historian described
PHELPS as “generous to
a fault” with his time and the historical documents and artifacts
he had collected.
“He deserves to be recognized for the contributions he made to
the community, despite his faults,” said Dan
BROCK.
BROCK said
he and other historians owe a debt to
PHELPS for his assistance
over the years. Word of
PHELPS' loss has spread quickly among
history buffs.
“He was invaluable in terms of what he has preserved of our heritage
and what he has done in helping others document it,” he said.
BROCK said
PHELPS would scavenge relentlessly for papers and
artifacts when prominent Londoners passed away, including sifting
through curbside garbage.
PHELPS also wrote histories of Sarnia, where he grew up, and
of Petrolia,
BROCK said. For several years
PHELPS had been in
declining health and subject to mood swings.
He had “been pretty despondent for a long time,” which had hampered
his efforts at further research and writing in recent years,
BROCK said.
The funeral will be held 1 p.m. Saturday at Millard George Funeral
Home, 60 Ridout St. S. As expressions of sympathy, donations
are being encouraged to the Sarnia Historical Society, 137 Davis
Street, Sarnia.
Who To Call
If you or someone you know is suicidal:
- Distress Centre (24 hours) 667-6711, 667-6600.
- London Mental Health Crisis Service (24 hours) 433-2023.
- Canadian Mental Health Association 434-9191.
- Mother Reach Postpartum Depression Line 672-4673.
D... Names DO... Names DOT... Names Welcome Home
DOTY - All Categories in OGSPI