After creating the Sidney Dearing website, a woman who had moved from Berkeley to Piedmont in the 70s was eager to talk to me but not knowing how to find me, went to our Chief of Police in Piedmont (2021) asking for my contact information. Born on Aug. 19, 1931 in Amarillo, Texas, Robert Wesley DeBolt went on to graduate from the University of New Mexico in 1955 with a degree in civil engineering. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. "But his greatest handicap was his lack of self-esteem," says Dorothy DeBolt. "Now, people run around saying, 'The DeBolts live here! A system error has occurred. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Nor did she figure out which neighbor child might have made that errant call. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. After the DeBolts were married, they moved into the Piedmont house, with Robert bringing his 10-year-old-daughter, Doni. ", "Here's what she did to me," says Dorothy DeBolt with a grin. There was an error deleting this problem. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. ), They always eat dinner together -- at two tables pushed together when necessary. Can I go to the playground after school?, DeBolt replied: Sure, honey, but be home by 5, and hung up. Bob DeBolt said Monday that his wife was moved to adopt partly by her faith Thank you, God was posted about the house although she was not overly religious. But no one's gone off the deep end. Then she asked me to take a friend of hers to a Christmas party they were having. "If we had a lot of problems, we wouldn't do it. Jean said to me, 'Ted says he thinks she might be too much for you.' Two months later, with nine children, she met Robert DeBolt. New Details On 14-Year-Old Kansas Cheerleader Murdered By Adam Longoria, Woman And Four Kids Killed By Husband; Weeks Later He Was Found Driving Around With Her Body In Van, Rapper Baby Soulja Charged With Murder What We Know, Longoria was sentenced to serve life in prison, Groom Invites His Nephews To His Wedding But Excludes Brother's Stepdaughter Her Mom Is Debating Whether To Attend, What Jon Hamm Says Changed His Mind About Marriage After Swearing It Off During His 18-Year Relationship With Jennifer Westfeldt, Man Insists Landlords Should Get Tipped By Tenants If They're Going To Tip Baristas, How Did Dr. Amie Hardwick Die? One child they adopted together was J.R. -- 10 years old, wheelchair-bound, blind, 40 pounds overweight from having been treated as a vegetable and stuffed with food in one temporary home after another. Several of them are Amerasian, one is black. The reaction in Piedmont had been mixed since Dorothy DeBolt had arrived. Along with her husband, Dorothy DeBolts survivors include her children, Mike, Mimi, Stephanie, Noel, Kim, Marty, Melanie, Doni, Ly, Dat, Trang, Phong, Tich, Anh, Reynaldo, Sunee, Karen and Wendy, 27 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and her brother, Art Nortier. It the story of a woman, excuse me, a lady, Dorothy DeBolt, born in 1903, who had a heart bigger than a watermelon. One saw his parents killed in a bombing, and some were wounded in war. "They would sit and stare at the boob tube and argue about who's going to watch what." And they try to talk about the problems. is a former sports writer for the Bay Area News Group who especially enjoys soccer and baseball. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? (Staff Archivess). She answered and a child said: Mom, this is Jennifer. based on information from your browser. DeBolt and 36-year-old Adam Longoria began talking after meeting at a party. For the next two months, he would continue texting her, attempting to get her into his car. . Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. The DeBolts live here!' Dorothy DeBolt and her first husband, Ted Atwood, had five children in the 1950s when they adopted two Amerasian boys who were products of the Korean War. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Both wedding bands are inscribed: "Thank you, God. These included children like those in their family who came from abusive homes, had physical handicaps and those from Vietnam who had injuries from the war. ", Their family has been a success, they say, but it has not been without problems. There is a problem with your email/password. Before midnight that night, DeBolt was spotted leaving her house, at which point court documents claimed thatLongoria"lured Alicia into his vehicle by telling her there was a party with some of her friends and that alcohol was available." It was a story Dorothy Atwood DeBolt enjoyed telling, one that any harried parent of young children might find somewhat familiar. DeBolt went on to serve in the Air Force, ultimately retiring as a lieutenant. She also found little hate notes in her mailbox: "Why don't you take these little bastard children and move out? Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). It is a large, old, three-story house. Every big newspaper prints obituaries every day, of course. Learn more about merges. "God knows we've had enough chances.". I said, 'What?!' She attended UC Berkeley, then became a professional pianist, joining a San Francisco combo that played boogie woogie and other popular music. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. At Longoria's sentencing, DeBolt's family admitted that she"had a past" and would often go missinbut that did not justify what Longoria had done not by a longshot. And of her husband, who helped her shoulder the enormous load. Most of all, Bob and Dorothy made the highest use of their public speaking abilities to advocate for multiracial, single-parent and sibling-group adoptions. I was so boy crazy, so moody. Please try again later. subject of two films, including an Oscar-winning documentary. The man who owned the company I ran -- his wife was an avocational matchmaker . "It has seven bedrooms, but more importantly it has six bathrooms," says Robert DeBolt. RELATED: Rapper Baby Soulja Charged With Murder What We Know. Drag images here or select from your computer for Susannah Evangeline Susie Leedy DeBolt memorial. Her mother, Tammy Conrad, even shared that she had been told she could never have children but still managed to concieve DeBolt, calling her a "miracle baby.". To use this feature, use a newer browser. Among his other achievements and accolades, Bob DeBolt served as a board member for the National Council on Adoption in Washington, D.C., and the North American Council on Adoptable Children. . There was a problem getting your location. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. PIEDMONT Robert Bob Wesley DeBolt and his late wife, Dorothy, made it their mission in life to help as many children as they possibly could, whether as biological parents, stepparents or adoptive parents, as their nationally renowned family ultimately grew to 20 children. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. This neighbor said the DeBolts were some of the most caring family she had ever seen and the amount of love in that family was admirable. Five children are from Dorothy DeBolt's previous marriage. . To say that theirs is a diverse household is an understatement. . "She didn't marry me," he says. Verify and try again. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. There are no babysitters, and a cleaning woman comes only occasionally. They were married in 1970. She also swims at the local pool, without her prostheses. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. She told me about how horrible the family and the children were first treated when they got to Piedmont. All had something that made them difficult to be adopted. ". Dorothy DeBolt, who laughed along with her family whenever she misplaced the names of the many children she did have, may not have had a daughter named Jennifer. Bob DeBolt, an acclaimed public speaker, recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees, recognized by the U.S. Congress and four presidents and once appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the Presidents Committee on Youth and Families, died Jan. 24 in El Cajon at age 84. DOROTHY AND Robert DeBolt have 20 children. It carries a $50,000 grant and honors "an individual, who through his or her own positive mental attitude, has overcome adversity and gone on to make significant contributions to the betterment of humanity." Bob DeBolt, an acclaimed public speaker, recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees, recognized by the U.S. Congress and four presidents and once appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the President's Committee on Youth and Families, died Jan. 24 in El Cajon at age 84. Later, through an investigation, they were able to determine that Longoria had raped and then killed DeBolt before pouring gas on her body and setting it on fire. Many of the kids of the DeBolts were from other countries and some had severe disabilities. "She adopted me. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. They all have their problems, their fears, their crushes on boys, whether they're paraplegic or not. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. DeBolt's story is featured on the Investigation Discovery showWeb of LiesIn an episode called "Be Right Back. Russell DeBolt passed away on March 6, 2019 in Kalkaska, Michigan. Created by a Piedmont, California resident, Meghan Bennett. The adoption agency she and her husband founded,Adopt A Special Kid, or AASK,was the first in the country to focus on special needs children, the family said. ", The Cincinnati Enquirer - Fri - Apr. The remaining 14 were adopted. "A woman asked if I could recruit families for these two 14-year-olds. Angel Song Rock, First Transistor, how did twe' debolt die. . The phone rang one day as the busy mother raced around her home, getting ready for an out-of-town trip and wrapping up housework before her kids got home. But there also are problems that more typical households have: Everyone must have assigned chores or nothing gets done. Longoria's girlfriend, Eva Brown, told him to end their relationship. Because of these handicaps, the child has to take a close look at himself at an early age. Please reset your password. At first, Longoria told investigators that he hadn't seen DeBolt since they first met in July and had been at a bar last night, but they were able to determine that he was involved after Longoria was arrested on vehicular burglary charges when he attempted to leave the state. Is the vulgar anti-Tesla sign on my neighbors truck illegal? It has placed 3,500 children in California and thousands more through its affiliates around the country. Resend Activation Email. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. She is survived also by five sisters and two brothers, namely: Mrs. C. D, Martin of Ankenytown,Mrs. Oops, we were unable to send the email. But most of them nowadayscontrary to days that I . Swims like one, too.". When she found out that he was talking to a much younger girl, she told him to "take care of the problem." Oops, something didn't work. Her mother, from Sweden, and her father, from the Netherlands, owned several Bay Area restaurants. "Jean called and said, 'I know you don't ordinarily do this, but I'd love you to meet this guy. They watch it on weekends. Drew Carey's Ex-Fianc Allegedly Murdered By Ex-Boyfriend In Hollywood Hills. ", Then she got a call from an organization trying to place severely wounded Vietnamese children. Through AASK, the DeBolts placed more than 3,500 children into loving homes. They were even the subject of an Academy Award-winning 1977 documentary, Who Are the DeBolts, and Where Did They Get 19 Kids? Bob DeBolt also was named Father of the Year by The Fathers Day/Mothers Day Council Inc. in 1981. She stopped playing professionally after starting a family but taught all her children to play and enjoy music. "She was a doll," he says. I fell in love on the first date, Dorothy told The Times in 1988. They made no special accommodations in their two-story home in Piedmont, near Oakland, mostly because they were cash-strapped, they said, but each child, with encouragement from the others, learned to navigate through it. But I tell my kids, 'You're so much luckier than I was.' Sorry! DeBolt's family has spoken out about the crime. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Learn more about managing a memorial . This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. "We've had kids experiment with marijuana," says Dorothy DeBolt. "We have a terrible time looking at things as problems," she says. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Kansas Supreme Court affirms capital murder conviction of Adam Longoria in death of 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt. Dorothy and Bob Debolt with grandmother ad children: Mike, 29, Michelle, 28, Stephanie, 26, Noel, 24, Martin, 23, Tich, 22, Ahn, 22, Dat, 21, Trang, 18, Doni, 17, Melanie, 17, Lee, 17, Twe, 16, John Robert (J.R.) 13, Thong, 11, Karen, 10, Sunee, 10, and Wendy, 9, in October of 1977. Some are blind, some have a combination of problems. "I don't mean to be Pollyana-ish . Try again later. The couple, who founded an Oakland-based nonprofit adoption agency for special needs children, taught their own to be self-reliant and to live independently. She said, 'I've fixed him up with a lot of nice ladies, but what he wants is someone intelligent. Surprisingly, it worked. Susie DoBolt, wife of B C. DeBolt, died at her home near Palmyra Monday noon of a complication of diabetes. "We were all working," she said. Hes not. Mrs. DoBolt Was 55 years of age and was quite well known In Mt. As it grew, the DeBolt family gained a measure of celebrity, too. Has seven bedrooms, but what he wants is someone intelligent any feedback we would love to hear from.. Began talking after meeting at a party her into his car problems that more households. View a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, the... With Murder what we Know Enquirer - Fri - Apr says Dorothy DeBolt 's... 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