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Dorothy Baxter, 103

Dorothy Elizabeth Baxter was born November 30, 1912, in a log cabin her father built in Benewah County, Idaho, to Leroy Franklin and Edith Marissa (Turner) Baxter. Following the death of her mother, Dorothy and her father moved to Blair, Nebraska, where Leroy then met and married Margaret Johns. They had five more children: William (Bill), Iris, Betty, Marjorie, and Maxine.

Dorothy graduated from Blair High School in 1930 and was active in music. She received a scholarship from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, and after graduating, was a teacher and assistant music supervisor in Norfolk, Nebraska.

Dorothy’s talent eventually took her to New York, where she performed in various singing groups, on several radio shows, theater and Broadway. She also traveled with the USO and performed in many states. She was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Actors Equity Association and performed various roles as an extra in many movies and television programs. Her acting career brought her in contact with a variety actors and television personalities including: Jack Lemon, Woody Allen, Walter Matthau, Conan O’Brien, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Paul Hogan (a.k.a. Crocodile Dundee), Harrison Ford, and Hugh Grant. Dorothy did voice-overs and commercials for several sponsors. Her career took her into modeling, both for print work and for the various art institutions around the New York City area. She continued modeling and booking models for the institutions until just a few years ago.

Dorothy was admired and loved by those whose lives she touched, but the man who won her heart above all others was one she first knew professionally and performed with, Jack Groh. They had a great friendship and love and eventually married on August 29, 2008. They made their home in Manhattan, New York, where she died peacefully with her beloved Jack by her side on March 26, 2016.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her biological mother, Edith; father, Leroy; stepmother, Margaret; brother, Bill, and sister-in-law, Barbara; sister, Iris Hewett; and brothers-in-law, Vern Tuttle, Russ Tuveson and Melvin Hewett. She is survived by her husband, Jack Groh; sisters, Betty Tuttle (Rockwell City, IA), Marjorie Tuveson (Wauwatosa, WI); sister and brother-in-law, Maxine and Robert Lange (Bellingham, WA); many loving nieces and nephews that extend several generations; and friends.

A celebration of Dorothy’s life will be held by the family at a future date.

News obituary: Blair native sang, acted and modeled in New York City

Leeanna Ellis May 30, 2016

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Dorothy Baxter didn't let her age slow her down. The New York City singer, actress and model was still working even after her 100th birthday.

“Age is just a number and mine is unlisted,” she told her family.

Baxter, a 1930 Blair High School graduate, died March 26 at age 103.

A career begins

Baxter began her singing and acting career at BHS.

“She always took the leads in the plays,” her niece, Jody Priester of Humphrey, said.

At 17, Baxter won a tri-state singing contest sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Shenandoah, Iowa. The prize: a trip to Europe. But Baxter's father, Leroy, thought she was too young to go by herself, so she was accompanied by her grandmother, Julia.

Dorothy attended Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. A judge in the singing contest awarded her a scholarship. Following graduation, Dorothy taught in Norfolk, where she was the assistant music supervisor. She also sang on the radio for WJAG. But she longed to go to New York.

Arriving in NYC

Dorothy saved enough money for a trip to New York, arriving by bus. She later wrote her father to tell him she was staying. Leroy had other ideas. In a return letter, Leroy told Dorothy a better career would be “to teach, get married and have kids.”

When Dorothy first arrived in New York, she stayed in a rooming house. She studied voice with Hazel Schweppe, a music instructor who had taught at Valparaiso and the Chicago Conservatory of Music. She had her own studio in New York. Actor Jerry Orbach also studied under Schweppe.

“Hazel was like another mother to me for many years,” Dorothy wrote in notes to Priester.

Though small in stature — she was 5--foot-2 and 105 pounds — Dorothy was a powerful soprano singer. Her first job was with the Ben Yost Singers, which was a group of eight female vocalists. She later worked with the Ted Lewis Orchestra in a quartet and performed in theaters around New York. Dorothy also sang with Xavier Cugat, a Spanish-American bandleader, and his orchestra at the Paramount Theater in New York. They also toured in Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland and Chicago. Dorothy also performed at the Waldorf Astoria, with a chorus of singers at Radio City Musical Hall and toured with the USO.

On the airwaves

Dorothy began performing on radio programs in the 1940s. She sang in background groups on shows like “The Kate Smith Hour” and Lucky Strike's “Your Hit Parade.” She also finished second on “Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.” During that time, she also sang in a group at the Capitol Theater and performed with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

One morning at the hotel cafe, Martin asked Dorothy to join him for breakfast.

“She said that he talked about his wife and how much he loved her and how much he missed her,” Preister said. “She said Dean Martin was the sweetest man, but she didn't really care for Jerry Lewis.”

Dorothy also found her way to Broadway, performing in three shows: “Sing Out Sweet Land,” which starred Burl Ives, Alfred Drake and Alma Kay; “Bloomer Girl,” which starred Celeste Holm; and “Song of Norway.”

Meeting her love

During a night out with a friend, Dorothy met Jack Groh at the Kittredge Club, a New York establishment for women. Jack was singing at the club.

“Dorothy told me he had this amazing new device,” Preister said. “It was a reel recorder.”

Jack used the recorder to play his accompaniment. “She was fascinated by that,” Preister said. “She went up on the stage and they got to know each other.”

It wasn't long before Dorothy and Jack were performing together. They created a comedy act called “Windjammer and Matilda.” They pantomimed to records during their performances. Windjammer was a famous singer past his prime. Matilda was a maid who was sweeping and cleaning behind him. She would mock him and roll her eyes behind his back.

“It was just a cute little act that they did,” Preister said.

Jack was attracted to Dorothy, but she thought he was too young for her. Jack was 16 years her junior. “But he was very persistent,” Preister said. “His sweetness won her over.”

But the couple didn't marry. It wasn't until they had been together for more than 60 years that their families asked why they hadn't married. Both were unsure how to go about it. Dorothy's sister, Maxine, who lived in Washington, arranged the event. The couple was married in Maxine's home in 2008. Dorothy was 95.

A film career begins

As her career continued, Dorothy transitioned into movies. She served as an extra in numerous films and television: “Hello, Dolly” with Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau; “The Prisoner of Second Avenue” and “The Out-of-Towners” with Jack Lemon; “The French Connection” with Gene Hackman; “Purple Rose of Cairo” with Woody Allen; “Crocodile Dundee” with Paul Hogan; “Beaches” with Bette Midler; “Presumed Innocent” with Harrison Ford; “The Sopranos” and “Late Night with Conan O'Brien.” In “Muppets Take Manhattan,” Dorothy can be seen riding an elevator with Kermit the Frog. She stands out with her red hair and red lipstick, said her niece, Patricia Garretson of Blair. “In 'Presumed Innocent,' you'll see her on the steps of the courthouse. You'll see her in the courtroom,” Preister said. “At one point, she's leaning through the crowd to see what's going on with the jury.” In her final film, “Mickey Blue Eyes” with Hugh Grant, Dorothy had a chance at a speaking role. Four older women tried for the role. They were all sitting around a table in the scene. “The big line was 'You're toast,'” Preister said. “None of them knew which one of them was actually going to make the cut and be in the film with the part.” When the film was released, Dorothy's family watched with anticipation. “Here's Hugh Grant and he's on the phone talking to his fiancee and he's all flustered,” Preister said. “Here's these four older women in the background. Dorothy, of course, stands out because of her hair. It was the white-haired lady who got the line.”

Dorothy's family would watch for her in her various films and TV shows, but sometimes their aunt would appear by surprise. “One time I was in the kitchen and the TV was going,” Preister said. “I could hear her voice. I ran into the living room and I looked at the TV. I knew that was Dorothy's voice. I called her up right away. Did you do a Pop Secret commercial?” “Oh yes, I did that quite a while ago,” Dorothy told her. Dorothy's other voice work included commercials for McDonald's, Yellowbook, Coca-Cola, Chase Manhattan and the New York Lottery.

Dorothy modeled for print work, including Hallmark. Her final ad was for Tag Body Spray in 2005. She also modeled for the art schools in New York and New Jersey, and served as an agent for other models until she was 100. To keep working, Dorothy covered her date of birth on her photo identification. “She was so afraid if people knew how old she was, she wouldn't get parts,” Preister said. “It's a tough business. If they knew she was 100, they're not going to have her modeling.”

A peaceful ending

As she aged, Dorothy never complained, Preister said, even as her eyesight and hearing began to fail. On her 100th birthday, Dorothy fell coming down the steps of her apartment near Riverside Park, injuring her neck. She recovered, but a second recent fall proved to be too much. Dorothy died peacefully in her home with Jack by her side.

“Jack just adored her,” Preister said.

In addition to her husband, Dorothy is survived by her sisters, Betty Tuttle of Rockwell, Iowa, Marjorie Tuveson of Wauwatosa, Wis., and Maxine (Robert) Lange of Bellingham, Wash.; and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Dorothy's life will be hosted by the family at a future date.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~