Goshen, N.Y. – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus has named Dorothy Wilson of Pine Bush the Citizen of the Month Award winner for the month of September.
Neuhaus recognized Wilson, a U.S. Navy veteran, as she approaches a milestone birthday. Wilson turns 100 years old on Saturday, September 29th.
“It’s a pleasure to offer Dorothy Wilson my best wishes on this landmark birthday,” Neuhaus said. “I wish her many more happy and healthy years. Dorothy is a wonderful woman who has led an inspiring life. She still remains active in her community where she is greatly appreciated and respected. We are also very grateful to Dorothy for her service to our country.”
Wilson will also be honored on her birthday, September 29th, at the County’s ceremony to honor the 40 County residents who died 100 years ago on the same day during World War I. The event will be held at 10 a.m. at the County’s Veterans Memorial Cemetery, located at 111 Craigville Road in Goshen. The 40 Orange County residents served in Companies E and L of the 107th Regiment of the 27th Division and were killed in action during the Battle of the Hindenburg Line in Northern France.
Wilson was born on September 29th, 1918 in Albany. She was motivated to enlist in the U.S. Navy in 1943 after her two brothers and friends were drafted for military service. Dorothy Wilson served in the Navy for a year and moved to New Windsor in 1962. She relocated to the state of Florida in 1974.
Wilson returned to Orange County in 1990 and has lived in Pine Bush since. She has two children, seven grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. Wilson is active in the Pine Bush Senior Club and the Mountain View Methodist Church in Walker Valley. She is also a member of American Legion Post 1308.
Asked about the secret to her longevity, Wilson said: “I really love people and I also drink a lot of milk. I try to be happy and spread love around. People don’t tell each other that they love each other enough. We need to do that more often.”
Neuhaus introduced his Citizen of the Month Award, which acknowledges outstanding Orange County residents, in January of 2017. To nominate someone for the Citizen of the Month Award, please email ceoffice@orangecountygov.com or mail a letter to “Citizen of the Month” at 255-275 Main Street Goshen, N.Y. 10924. Be sure to include the nominee’s name, hometown, a list of their accomplishments, why you are nominating them and any other pertinent information. Nominees must be from Orange County.
For more information, contact Justin Rodriguez, Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations at 845.291.3255 or jrodriguez@orangecountygov.com.
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