Dorothy W Ferris

Dorothy Reilly Ferris, 78, of Beverly Hills, breathed her last on September 18th. Exceptionally kind to friend and stranger alike, she reached out to everyone and blessed their lives.
Born in Kew Gardens, NY in 1945 to Merwin and Grace (Gay) Westerberg, she spent most of her growing years in the greater Washington, DC area and graduated from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA. Future education came from numerous training courses in the series of jobs she explored, including telemarketing for United Airlines and as a department head at Woodward & Lothrop, the Capital’s leading department store.
She found her career in 1984 when she joined the United States Customs Service, working in the Assistant Commissioner’s office in the District of Columbia. Over 22 years, her importance grew to the job of Congressional Liaison, where she and staff met the challenges that every Congressional office required from the Service. She traveled often to the Southwest border, most frequently during the inauguration of the Service’s Tethered Aerostat Radar System program, a deterrent to illegal crossings. She retired in 2006.
An early marriage yielded a daughter, Mary Grace, born with congenital abnormalities that caused her death in less than five years. In 1973, she married Stephen Creskoff, a father of two boys, Edward, age three and Jeffrey, age six months. She took the children under her wings, and despite the eventual dissolution of that marriage, she remained the mother of “her boys” until her death. Edward and his wife, Rebecca, have two sons, Jacob and Asher. Jeffrey and his wife, Gina, have three daughters, Sofia, Emma and Mia.
In 1985, she met Donald Ferris, a recent transfer from New England who shared her love of sailing. Don and Dot lived together in Arlington and sailed on Chesapeake Bay every chance they got. In 2000, after rebuilding a shore cottage near Annapolis into a little two story Victorian, they sold the boat and switched to RV adventuring. With a 40′ “Fifth Wheel” in tow, they explored all of the Lower 48 states over the next twenty years. A historical chronicle of their travels exists on the Internet.
Dorothy’s love for and attention to people was matched by another passion. In 1990, she met Popo, a Schipperke (Belgian barge dog) while anchored in a nearby harbor. Entranced by the breed, she found a two year old rescue in a pound in Northern Maryland and brought him home. Renamed Barnacle, the little black devil never left her side until he perished in 2002. Feeling empty, the couple quickly found and brought home a needy six year old. Before they were through, they rescued 14 Schipperkes over a 30 year period. Two, Tauri and Captain Jack, are still at home with Don while Dot frolics with the other twelve at “The Bridge.”
Hundreds of people, from relatives and friends to virtual strangers, have contacted Don, Edward, Jeffrey and Dot’s brother, Stanley Schiffman and his partner Ray Bryk of Vero Beach, FL, expressing their deep love for her goodness and thankfulness for all she had done for them.
A celebration of Dorothy’s life will be held in November, with information appearing on Facebook and in e-mails. Arrangements are under the care of Chas E. Davis Funeral Home 3705 S Florida Avenue, Inverness, FL 34450