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Member Tributes
Don Ross

Don Ross, a long-time member of our club, died on August 14, 2020, following a two-week struggle with Dengue Fever. He was 85.


Don and his wife Janith, March 2019, after a swim at the Racquet Club, where they lived.

 

Below are some words from people who knew Don.

From Don's sister, Mary Balkam, who played with Don at our club on a visit to Lakeside in 2019:

Since his retirement and relocation to the Lake Chapala area, bridge was a major part of Don’s life and something that he and I enjoyed together over many years. His challenges in hearing made it difficult for Don to fully enjoy the social aspects of the live game but he always enjoyed the special environment at the Lake Chapala Club.

From Janet Mitchell:

We have lost a wonderful member of our club. I played with don and he taught me a lot. We always chatted about the bluejays and raptors. When they travelled we looked after their dogs and vice versa. He always wore shorts no matter the weather, except once

From Lew Crippen:

For many years, Don acted as (what we called then) the Director of Games.  Basically he did everything that [the Club Manager] is doing now.  He also directed many games, although he quit doing that after we got the dealing machine as he had a very hard time with the manual aspects of working the machine.  He was also a very good director and spent a lot of time guiding potential directors through the tests.  He also gave lessons to beginning players.

At the table he was always extremely friendly, although often very loud as his hearing was so poor.  His hearing loss was due to his time in the Canadian military.  As I recall he was in the artillery.

He was also a High School principal, and he and Janith spent several years in West Africa in that profession

He loved single malt scotch and taking cruises.

From Donna McElroy:

He was my bridge partner and friend for the 20 years I have been here. 

He was noted for his loud voice because of his bad hearing but he was also the most courteous player at the club. 

He was extremely proud of his Scotish heritage. He was a very good thoughtful bridge player who drilled into me if everyone is bidding the 3 level belongs to the opposition.

He was on the board for many years in charge of directors (forget what it was called before). He assisted in helping many get their Director's certification.

He was a teacher in his life before retirement and once a teacher always a teacher.

From Lane Galloway:

After I moved here last year and started playing at the club, I remember wondering who that fellow with the booming voice was, but what I remember even more than his voice was his laugh. This was a fellow, I quickly realized, with a true love for life and for the game of bridge. When we get back to playing at the club, I know Don will be greatly missed. It will be too quiet during our games.

From David Hoogenberg:

Don is what we Canadians refer to as a Bluenoser, an affectionate term given to people from Nova Scotia (famous ship style Bluenose was built there). Don was very much a typical bluenoser. I lived in Nova Scotia for 14 years before coming to Mexico so know the culture Don took pride in.

Don took great pride in having  been a high school prinicipal, and having served in the Canadain Military. He also took great pride in his Scottish heritage. He loved the local Nova Scotia Cape Breton fiddle music (Scottish roots) that I endured for 4 hours on a trip to San Miguel.

Don attended my wedding with Alma, he showed up in full garb, kilt and all. As 90% of those attending were Mexican, he was the talk of the town and everyone wanted to know who he was. They were surpised that some Canadians wore kilts. That was Don.

From Carol Cortez:

My granddaughter made me a special pencil so I wouldn’t lose it at bridge - but I left it at the club one day and was heartbroken.  The next day at the Club Don comes over and gives me my pencil that he had found on a table!  Even though I haven’t been Lakeside very long, it’s long enough to know that Don was a sweetheart and will be truly missed.

From Trudy Crippen:

Don was one of the most important people in the club for many years. He was the club manager, overseeing our games and directors for, I am guessing, at least eight years. His wife, Janith, entered our travelers until we went digital. I wish there were a way to recognize our older members who were the backbone of our club. 

From Bernita Cooper:

HOWDEDO with a big grin and a chuckle, that’s how Don greeted players at his bridge table. He’ll be sorely missed

From Sue Gerard:

I met Don Ross in 2002. It was at the February sectional. He was such a lovely outgoing person and made me feel welcomed right away. During all the years that followed I always looked forward to seeing him at all of the tournaments. Even though I haven't seen him recently I always asked about him. What a loss to the world. He was always such a happy person. 

From Mollie Nadler:

I am very sorry to hear the sad news about Don Ross. He was a lovely man who helped me to become a bridge director. He was really sharp and on the ball. He will be missed by the community at large and by me. He was my friend.  

From David and Marjorie Wandler:

Because of Don, we soon felt welcomed in the bridge club. Many days he stopped to drive us to the club, and he was the most entertaining ‘taxi driver’ ! Don’s chuckle about everything was so warm. Our connections with Don made us feel like we were home (in Nova Scotia).

From Jeane Treloar:

Adios Don. Only once did I have the privilege of playing with you. But in that one time and all the others we sat across the table from each other, I saw your support of player and absence of any acrimony towards others. I remember how happy you were to bring your anniversary wedding congratulations from Queen Elizabeth for posting on the 'marriage board'. There was no picture but your acknowledgement of the love for Janith and your marriage clearly was there. I wish you well on your final journey and look forward to meeting you when neither of us need hearing aids.

From Skip and Dona Johnson:

We are not members of the club. But Don bought an oil painting from me 10 years ago or more and every time I chatted with him he always said how much he treasured it. In return I got one of Janith's precious needle works, love it.

From Peggy Chilton:

Whenever I entered the facility and heard his wonderful laugh - I knew I would have a good afternoon. Great guy! 

From Julian Dunlop:

Don and Donna came to my table with Jimmy Szarka as East/West and Don bid 3NT and went down, badly. So I winked at Donna, cupped my ear, and said to Don that it appears that Christmas has come early. All players heard Don's raucous laughter, so it is a very sad thought that we will no longer hear his infectious laughter.

From John Olsen

Don was a fellow Nova Scotian who had a fantastic personality. I can always remember when I would arrive in Ajijic in January and venture to the club for my first game of the season. Don would be there and would be looking to see if I was wearing shorts, sandals and a tee shirt. Even on the coldest days, we would often be the only two men crazy enough to wear shorts and a tee shirt. Other people would be freezing and would make fun of us crazy Canadians !! We actually shamed each other into wearing shorts when any sane person would wear long trousers. I always teased Don about wearing socks with his sandals !!! LOL Don also was very instrumental in my development as a Director. He always emphasized how important it was for players to treat each other with respect and kindness. He lived by that motto !! Don, smooth sailing and thanks for everything you did for the Lake Chapala club. You will be sincerely missed.

 

Doris Denny

Doris and Her Cast of Thousands

Compiled by
Carla Dedolph
and
Irma Henson

Doris Denny is a household name in many Lakeside casas, especially if the inhabitants are bridge players. She’s known for her bridge playing prowess that has left more than a few of her opponents wondering
what just hit them.

Also, Doris has acquired the title of the One Woman Welcome Wagon. She’s brought many people to Lakeside, a place she dearly loves, as well as assisting in helping newcomers become acquainted with their new-found area. She’s not happy when she sees people who are alone and looking a bit forlorn, in a new situation. Quickly, she comes to their rescue with a helping hand and an invitation to join her at her table, should she be dining in a restaurant.

Many folks, when gathered in social settings, will fondly speak of the person who most likely brought them all together: Doris. She connected us with each other. She was born on Nov. 30, 1937, in Lebanon, KY, the daughter of parents who were fairly conservative in nature. Her father set out to be a Baptist minister but instead became a federal probate judge for eastern Kentucky. That place in Kentucky, Doris remarked, was “The Badass Capitol of the World.”

Her father also had a Navy career so Doris, in her youth, spent time in Port Washington, Long Island, when her father was stationed nearby. She and her mother would take the train into Manhattan where they’d partake in many of the offerings of the Big Apple.

She went off to a Baptist college in Campbellsville, KY, where she spent a year and a half. Then she transferred to Georgetown Baptist College. And what did she study while in academia? “Whatever I damn well pleased,” she explained.

The fact that her grandparents gave a home to the college, to be used as the president’s residence, could have helped Doris in her independent curriculum quest to “take what I wanted.” Then, she left. While in college, she became engaged to one James Edward Smith. He was studying to become a Baptist minister. He got drafted to go to Vietnam. Doris said that James thought if he could seduce her, she’d marry him before he went off to war. That didn’t work. But Doris did go off to Nashville, TN, where she resided with James’ mother for awhile. Doris found a job with Ma Bell where she worked in the Records Department and received drafting training. “I wasn’t allowed to use a calculator,” she noted. “I had to do the adding in my head.”

She went to live at the YWCA. A block or so from the Y was a restaurant where she had breakfast almost every morning with Johnny Cash. “What a demon he was,’ she remarked. “I was a virgin; He was always after me.”

Doris met Frank Arbuthnot at an Over 21 Dance at the Y. They got married and Frank attended Florida State University in Tallahassee. He played football. She didn’t like football. Following instructions to attend
a football game, Doris fell asleep in the bleachers. “I never had to go to another game after that,” she offered with a smile lighting up her face. Doris and Frank had a son, Curtis.

Doris got out of that marriage before Frank graduated. “You’ve already had two years on me. Adios!” In addition, she didn’t like his last name. She had continued to work for Ma Bell during that relationship.
When asked if she loved Frank, Doris thoughtfully replied, ‘Well, if I did I didn’t stay in love very long.”

While in Tallahassee, Doris met Daniel Isaiah Corley, a career pilot in the Navy. They had a son, Daniel Scot Corley who only lived for three months. Both of Doris’s sons died from heart disease. Curt died at the age of 21, shortly after graduating from college.

Her next move was to Cincinnati where Doris was living when her very young son passed away. She worked for the University of Cincinnati. She also took dance lessons from Johnny Lang. When her mother heard about Doris’s dance instruction she informed Doris that she should be going to church rather than cavorting around on a dance floor. While employed at the University, Doris also worked for a travel club
where she accompanied travelers on jaunts to the islands and other exotic places.

In Cincinnati is where Doris learned how to play bridge. She had a friend, Starla Burns, who taught her. They became best friends, playing bridge and going many places together. Doing very well on the bridge
scene, they won the National Women’s Bridge Pairs as well as other tournaments. Starla, unfortunately died in a tragic accident. Doris went on a trip to New Orleans. She had 20 master points to her
name and she found a bridge club. Here, she met a fellow who was a bridge pro. She asked him how long it would take to learn “this dumb, stupid game.” The man, Louis Michael Fiorello, told her “You need to find the best bridge player and sleep with him and talk about bridge all night.”

She married him.

“He taught me everything,” Doris explained. He only had a fifth-grade education but he was “very brilliant.” They remained together for three or four years. While in New Orleans, Doris worked as business manager at Commander’s Palace, the world-renowned restaurant. She left that employ when the Brennan family purchased the establishment. Doris didn’t have much love for the new owners.

Doris is a huge fan of the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans. “I’d like to go back to one more,” she told us. She went to Pensacola. She also went on a cruise to the Grand Caymen Islands and met John Monroe whom she persuaded to open a travel agency, with her. He was 80; She was 40. He found a woman who would provide the necessary qualifications for starting such a business and it was established. It didn’t exactly boom. Here is where Carla Dedolph entered Doris’s life. The two women met at a bridge club where Doris invited Carla to attend a memorial service for Curt. Carla came on board the travel business and helped sell the services provided by the travel agency. Doris was working at that business for three years. Carla bought her out and stayed in that business for 23 years.

Husband Number Three is a mystery. Clearly, this union was not one made in heaven. “I think I only stayed with him for a couple of months,” she concluded. Doris believes this matrimonial adventure took place
when she was in Pensacola.

Doris worked for a number of travel agencies. She accompanied people on tours. She also kept books for businesses. One of her good friends, Sally Johnson, lived in the Grand Caymans. Doris kept her books for 20 years, traveling there every six weeks. That’s where she met John Monroe, the ” let’s start a travel agency guy.” Doris also took people there for special events like Pirate’s Week, one of her favorite celebrations.

Mexico City was a destination for a big bridge tournament. Doris accompanied a group of people there. They were sitting in the bar of a big, gorgeous hotel and a young man, from Yugoslavia, began speaking
with Doris. He wanted to come to the United States. He was about to be deported. His name was Anton Gorup. This was around 1984-85. Doris returned to Pensacola and two weeks later Anton showed up at
her door. Doris married him, Carla performed the ceremony. He thought they were really married. Doris was just assisting him in getting a green card. Doris helped him get U.S. citizenship. This was a long
process, taking a huge amount of time. Anton was hanging around, ever hopeful that his new wife would conform to being a wife. This got to be downright boring so Doris shipped him off to take care of her elderly mother who was still living in Kentucky.

Doris met Dr. Morrison, she suspects in Pensacola. He requested her presence in Atlanta. She dallied for five months so when Dr. Morrison ‘phoned to inquire about her whereabouts, she went to Atlanta and
stayed there for 20 years, sometimes with Dr. Morrison. Doris and Carla traveled, taking many trips together. They also played gin rummy. Carla would beat Doris who then would pay off her incurred debts by pulling weeds in Carla’s garden. Carla taught Doris how to play cribbage, too. When in Atlanta, she continued to play cribbage. She called Carla, telling her about the clubs that were there. Doris was a bit hesitant about playing in them. Carla told her to just go and she’d remember how to play the game. Doris then established a club, “Have Pegs, Will
Travel.” The club is still in existence. “The last time I played at the cribbage club in Ajijic I won all of the games,” she reported, “so I never went back.” Doris reached the national standings in cribbage and in 1999 won the National Cribbage Tournament in Raleigh, N.C. She won $7,600 from this competition. She was only the second woman in history to win this championship. “A huge fete,’ friend Carla remarked.
In Atlanta, Doris worked for several travel agencies, doing their accounting.

She met John Delmar (J.D.) Denny. He became her fifth husband. Doris needed to have two surgeries but didn’t have the money to pay for them. J.D. had great insurance!

Doris went on a three-day familiarization trip to Mexico. She returned to Atlanta and told J.D., “We’re going to Mexico!” He replied affirmatively and built a house in Riberas where Doris
continues to reside. When poor health made it necessary for J.D. to have skilled nursing care, he went to a facility in California.

Doris met Mac Argo at a bridge tournament. He was from Birmingham, AL. They played in tournaments in the United States. They met up with Carla and her husband, Ray, to play in regional and national
tournaments. Mac and Doris went back and forth between Mexico and the United State, playing in bridge tournaments for about seven years.

Before Mac came into her life, Doris was a cat person. She bred and sold Persian cats while she lived in Atlanta. Mac brought dogs into her life. He had two. Now, she has five, and two cats!!!

On one of Doris and Ray’s birthdays, this foursome searched for something special to do to celebrate. Ray and Doris both wanted to play Barbu. So they packed up, leaving the tournament they were playing in, and returned to Pensacola. Doris had learned the game when she lived in New Orleans. She was instructed by the Italian Blue Team members who comprised the premier bridge team in the world. They taught their protégées how to play Barbu. Doris thought they were better at bridge.

About 25 years ago, Doris brought Carla and Ray to Lakeside to play in a bridge tournament. Now, they are permanent residents here. They travel extensively, teach bridge on cruises and have a tax business. But, home is here in Riberas!

As for Doris, she adores being here in Mexico. “This is where I want to be.”

There are other people who have played an important role in Doris’s life. She became friends with Ed and Dotty Lewis, probably at a bridge tournament. They resided in the Washington, D.C. area where Dot ran a bridge club. They played bridge all over North America, amassing thousands of master points. Dotty and Doris were in the movies. They were employed as extras. In one gig they were riding on a streetcar down St. Charles Street in New Orleans.

Doris is responsible for bringing Dotty and Ed to Lakeside. They eventually purchased a home behind the Chapala Bridge Club. Ed passed away several years ago. Dot continues to spend her time between D.C. and Lakeside.

Another important person, to Doris, is Paco Lopez who Doris refers to as “my adopted kid.” He lives in and maintains Doris’s house in Atlanta. “He’s a true gentleman,” Carla noted. He’s been in Doris’s life for at least 30 years.

Many, many more people have been a part of Doris’s life. We’d have to cut down far too many trees to produce enough paper to name them all. You might have been one so it’s hopeful you’ll smile when you recall just how you fit into her life.

She not only plays bridge and Barbu, she has taken groups on tours to various locations such as Copper Canyon and Morelia. Some have been bridge tours, some cribbage. She’s also taken groups to bridge
tournaments in Puerto Villarta and to Ixtapan de la Sol. Add a bridge cruise to Alaska to Doris’s list of accomplishments. She’s also a Mahjong player, having been in a number of groups here at
Lakeside. Tour guide, accountant, travel agent, bridge director, real estate saleswoman – add all of these to Doris’s extensive list of vocations. Of her accounting career, Carla, who had first-hand experience with Doris’s skill, proclaimed that Doris “was never off a penny.”

We can’t forget to add another job to Doris’s resume. She was a bookseller. She sold bridge books for Randy Baron, owner of the famous Baron Barclay Bridge Supply. She was selling in the Atlanta area, in the northern part of Florida, all the way over to Mobile, Alabama. She was in this business “for years, at least 20,” she estimated. She had a keen desire to play in the Huntsman World Senior Games in Saint George, UT. Bridge is one of the sports. She got to go there, a few years ago, and, of course, won the bridge event! Doris also loves playing in the regional tournament in Gatlinburg, TN. She has played there quite often, beginning about 35 years ago. Of her bridge expertise, Carla noted that Doris, in days of old, would play four sessions a day, and she always drank during the midnight game. “She played just as well drunk, as she did sober,” Carla dutifully explained. In addition, at these competitions, she was dressed to kill and around 11:30 p.m., she’d dance.

There’s also reason to suspect that Doris could have spent ample time with sailors. She can let loose with a stream of curse words that would make any nautical sort cheer, or cry.

That’s our Doris.

The sun is setting. We needed to share her story.