Dolores H. Gittings

     Dolores H. Gittings, beloved wife of Walter Gittings, passed from this life on January 23, 2022. Dolores is the loving mother of Neil Gittings and his wife Dee and David Gittings and his wife Lisa, cherished grandmother of Michael Gittings and his wife Jenny Kinniff, Ian Gittings and his wife Kensey, Meredith Gittings and her fiance Tucker Neely and Morgan Gittings. She is also survived by two great-grandchildren Graham and Margot.      

     Dolores was born in East Baltimore on August 11, 1931, the middle child of 3 children, Lou Hejl her older brother and Patricia ‘Patsy’ Hejl her younger sister, both deceased.  She left school at an early age to enter the workforce and help her family financially.

     She married Walter when he was 21 and she was 18 on June 10, 1950 at St. Wenceslaus Church near Johns Hopkins Hospital, in the neighborhood where they grew up and met (They met when she was 15 and he was 18, she originally told him she was 16.).  At the time of her death, Dolores and Walter had been married for over 71 years.

     Dolores was primarily a homemaker for most of her adult life.  She held several part-time jobs at different times of her life.  Her longest stint was as a part-time librarian at Our Lady of Fatima School (where she never collected a late fee from a child during her entire tenure, and always knew anything that David, her son, had done wrong).  Dolores volunteered at Our Lady of Fatima Church and School, Archbishop Curley High School and Eastwood Little League.

     In Baltimore, Dolores rarely missed one of grandson Michael’s baseball or soccer games.  In Roswell, GA, she and Walter were spectators at grandson Ian’s, granddaughter Meredith’s and granddaughter Morgan’s lacrosse games and Morgan’s dance recitals.

     Until about ten years ago, she enjoyed senior aerobics, tai chi and yoga.  Together, Dolores and Walter enjoyed Volksmarches where they would travel to various locations to walk with other club members on six-mile walks.

     As those who knew her probably know, Dolores remembered everyone’s birthday and anniversary with a greeting card.  She kept cards and letters that she received from her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in a decorated box that was labeled “Life is Beautiful.”

Viewing and services will be private. The family requests that donations be made to Archbishop Curley High School or Gilchrist Cares.