Dorothy Will

Dorothy Anne (Baures) Will, 92, of Black River Falls, WI, passed away peacefully on October 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.

Having more energy than is reasonable for a human being, she tirelessly managed family, friends, career, and volunteer roles. Her love and kindness created a powerful force. She was comfortable in any conversation, made people feel safe to speak freely, and offered heart-felt advice and help.

PERSONAL

Dorothy was born on March 4, 1931, and became the eldest of seven children born to Ethel (Reineke) and Arthur Baures. During high school she worked for the Fairchild Farmers Union Co-op as bookkeeper and cashier. She also babysat and waitressed to save money for a car. At age 18 she bought a 1935 Ford Coupe.

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. They 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 light of his family’s lives. He was also the impetus for Dorothy’s life-long advocacy for people with developmental disabilities. Nothing is done on one's own of course, and her greatest support came from her devoted, patient, and kindhearted husband.

PROFESSIONAL

Dorothy and Denver struggled to meet Ron’s needs and found no adequate services available in Jackson County to help them. Unable to accept this deficiency, Dorothy, with indispensable support from Denver and countless others, embarked on a journey to bring help to families like theirs.

She set to learning and attended state-sponsored training, as well as bachelor- and master-level classes at UW-LaCrosse and UW-Madison. In 1967 Dorothy was one of a small group of citizens who initiated Jackson Country’s first volunteer-driven chapter of Arc, which received $500 from the Tavern League to open the Jackson County Day Care Center for 10 developmentally disabled individuals. Her aim was always to focus on what they could do rather than what they couldn’t, and she started with programs that taught self-care skills to the participants and much needed support for their parents. The program was recognized as one of only two in the state of Wisconsin to provide programs for all ages. With the Day Care Center being open only three days per week, she spent two days doing volunteer home visits to families not in the program.

By 1971 she was hired full-time as director of the center, which now provided programs five days per week and had moved to a larger location to better serve the growing number of participants. Over the following few years, she was awarded grant money that allowed her to offer more programs, including daily living skills, reading, counting, and language, psychomotor and behavioral development. With another grant she purchased a handicapped accessible bus for transportation to and from the center.

With the passing of the Mandatory Special Education Law in 1973, which required public education for developmentally disabled individuals from elementary-school age up to age 21, the population served by the center changed. It was renamed the Training and Employment Center and added job training for developmentally disabled adults over 21 and intervention services for the birth-to-three population.

In 1974 Dorothy proudly accepted an appointment by Wisconsin Governor Patick Lucey to the Advisory Committee on Mental Health, Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse, and Developmental Disabilities. The newly formed committee advised the Board and Department of Health and Social Services concerning budget guidelines and program standards. Programs were beginning to develop across the state and the Governor wanted to ensure proper oversight.

She was hired as the first Director of the Jackson County Developmental Disabilities Agency in 1976 to reflect the growing services provided by the state and the county.

Prior to the early 1970s, it was common practice to institutionalize developmentally disabled children. In the mid-1970s the state began encouraging the transition of individuals out of state institutions and into the community. Dorothy went on a mission, establishing group homes and supervised living situations. Hers was the first county in Wisconsin to move all eligible individuals into suitable homes in the community.

In 1986 the agency was integrated into the Jackson County Human Services, where she continued her work until she retired in 1993.

During her career she gained local and state recognition, including:

● 2003 - George Gorney Memorial Award for appreciation in support of the Arc-Wisconsin Disability Association, Inc. and sharing its mission of promoting quality of life for people with developmental and related disabilities and their families

● 2005 - Humanitarian Award from Riverfront Inc., non-profit providing support for individuals with disabilities

● 2007 - Jayn Wittenmyer Distinguished Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Council of Developmental Disabilities

● 2010 - Service Above Self Award from the Black River Falls Rotary Club ● 2012 - Women in History Award from Jackson County, Wisconsin

That’s not all. She was doing other volunteer work along the way:

● 1950s and 60s - 4H Leader

● 1960s - St. Joseph’s Catholic Church CCD teacher

● 1960s - Snow Creek Homemakers Club

● 1970s - Arc-Wisconsin, President

● 1980s - Western Wisconsin Health Systems Agency (appointed by Jackson County for two terms totalling 6 years), Secretary and Chairman of the Administrative Committee where she helped develop the Black River Child Care Center and the Meals on Wheels program.

She continued to volunteer after retirement:

● 2000s - Aging and Disabilities Resource Center (ADRC) for Western Wisconsin, Developmental Disabilities representative

● 2000s - Jackson County Aging Advisory Committee, Chairman

● 2000s - Lutheran Social Services/Connection, developmentally disabled seniors group coordinator

Dorothy and Denver lost their beloved son Ron in 2013. In 2019 they moved to independent living, and at the time of her death Dorothy lived at Dove Healthcare in Osseo, Wisconsin. At Dove 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.

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, Patricia, sons Jeffrey and Jon, sisters Evelyn and Goldine, brother Henry, 10 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great-grandsons, as well as numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2023, Guardian Angels Parish at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 505 Main St., Black River Falls, WI 54615, 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.