In Search of Dorothy

Jet Wintter Seghers died in 1996. Her daughter Christi Malone found a mounted photograph of Dorothy “Dottie” Johansson taken on her wedding day and began an 18 year search for Dorothy’s family, so she could return the beautiful photograph. Christi Malone posted notes on message boards and even spoke with the Orlando Sentinel who ran an article in the newspaper, included below.

Using resources in Ancestry Library Edition, FamilySearch.org, Legacy.com, and the internet, the author was able to find Dorothy’s sister Barbara “Babs” Johansson and return the beautiful wedding photo. Barbara also attended Orlando Senior High School and she, Dorothy, and Jet can be found in the 1947 Tigando Yearbook.

Jet Seghers was Dorothy’s friend from High School.

Jet’s obituary at EPOCHLegacies.org     

Dorothy’s obituary at EPOCHLegacies.org

This is the story that ran in the Orlando Sentinel in 2008.

In Search of Dorothy
Orlando Sentinel, The (FL) – Sunday, May 11, 2008   Author: Joy Wallace Dickinson, Sentinel Staff Writer

Someone who does indeed value history, Christi Malone of Franklin, Tenn., hopes that Orlando-area readers can help her solve a mystery. Here’s how she explained her quest in a letter: “After my mother died some years ago, I came into possession of a photograph of a young woman in a wedding dress. “On the back written in pencil is the name Dorothy Johansson.”

I have searched over the years trying to find this lady or her children so that I can return the photograph.”I have posted on lost/found Web sites as well as genealogy sites for the name Johansson . I recently ran across this photograph again; it was taken by the Alan Anderson studio of Orlando.

I suspect that Dorothy attended Orlando High School with my mother. “From what I have been able to learn, I believe Dorothy was known as Dottie to her friends and her married name was Staples. My mother married in 1946, and by that time ” Dottie ” was signing her name Staples.” [We learned that Jet had two friends named Dorothy – one that married Rhoades and one that married Staples.]

CHRISTI MALONE Franklin, Tenn.

Can any of you OHS grads help Christi find the family home for this photo she has found among her mother’s treasured possessions?
Caption: PHOTO : Christi Malone of Franklin, Tenn., found this photo among her late mother’s belongings. It is of Dorothy ‘ Dottie ‘ Johansson , who, Malone thinks, attended Orlando High School with Malone’s mother. Malone hopes to return the photo to Johansson or her children.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTI MALONE

Letter  from Dorothy’s daughter Kathy to the author of this post after Dorothy’s sister Barbara received the photo in the mail.

I just spoke with my Aunt Barbara Johansson Richard concerning a wedding photo of my mother that you sent to her.  How WONDERFUL of you to be so diligent in tracking down the family….thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Aunt Babs isn’t very tech savvy so doesn’t know how to forward to me the email correspondence you have had with her, and Jet’s daughter.  My older sister has our mother’s wedding photo, so Aunt Babs is sending  the one you sent her to me.  As she told you mother was with me for the last 8 years of her life, so I will cherish this keepsake.

Again thank you for your kind attention in getting this family keepsake back to us.

Forever grateful,
Kathy Rhoades Wolfson