Bill and Dottie Wilder
Bill and Dottie lived their adult lives in Cincinnati. They were born in 1920 and 1921 and grew up during challenging times.
Dorothy is known as “Dottie” to family and friends. Her early childhood years were traumatic, as she lived in foster care until age five when a generous and loving couple provided her a “forever” home. Her “forever” mother was a teacher, so Dottie wanted to be a teacher, too. She wanted to teach young children and pursued an early childhood education through the University of Cincinnati College of Home Economics. Dottie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1940. Also in 1940, she married Bill and together they had five children.
Because of her tumultuous early childhood, Dottie dedicated her life to providing a loving and stable family home. When her children were older, she returned to college and earned teacher certification. She then taught in the same elementary school for the next 20 years. Over the years, Dottie purchased needed school supplies and classroom materials with her own money. Bill would often tease her that her salary barely covered the cost of the supplies she purchased for her class every year! Dottie managed both her family and her career successfully, teaching her children to achieve their dreams while keeping family as a priority.
Bill lived through challenging times as well. He was a young boy during the Great Depression. His father was a mechanic and managed to find work, so he was able to give Bill money every morning to buy lunch at school. Knowing that many were struggling to make ends meet, Bill would stop by the homes of friends or family each day and give them his lunch money. His teacher realized he wasn’t eating lunch and learned what he was doing. Thereafter, each morning before he arrived at school, she put lunch money in his desk. Later he learned that his teachers often bought lunch for students who didn’t have money.
Bill was called to serve during WWII. When he returned, the only work he could find was in a local manufacturing plant. He cut large sheets of tin used to build pipes. It wasn’t long before he realized he could use his math and engineering skills to streamline the process and lower production costs. Not only did he succeed, but over the next 50 years he rose to become an executive of the company.
Bill and Dottie Wilder were dedicated parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. They loved children and consistently reached out to support them through donations to local charities. The Bill and Dottie Wilder Foundation exists to continue their spirit of generosity and their love of children.
