“EVERY Individual Matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” – Jane Goodall
Can you be a great person if your name never appeared in the newspaper or the history books? Anybody who knew Dorothy knows the answer to that. Dorothy lived a life dedicated to empowering others by recognizing and emphasizing their uniqueness and by letting them know they were deeply loved and important. The ripples of her joyful, generous, and loving personality spread far and wide. When asked what her love languages were, she would reply, “All of them!” Anyone and everyone she encountered felt this. Her accomplishments in this life rest in the hearts of the many, many people she cared for and loved with her wise and generous heart. All good things and all great people must come to an end, however, so it is with deep sadness and regret that we announce that our beloved mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, and friend passed away at her home in Santa Barbara on June 29th at the age of 93. She will be forever and deeply missed by all that knew and treasured her.
Dorothy was born to Walter Augustus Perkins and Dorothy Berry Perkins on November 26, 1928 in San Francisco. She spent the first 7 years of her life in Chile where her father was a mining engineer. When her father passed away unexpectedly in 1936, Dorothy’s mother moved the family to Santa Barbara. Dorothy attended local schools, including Howard School and Crane School, before graduating from Laguna Blanca in Hope Ranch. She was modest when describing herself as a schoolgirl. She painted a picture of a girl that was shy and introverted; she told stories about always having her “nose in a book”, riding horses (occasionally all the way from her house on the Riviera to Laguna Blanca) and spending time with her best girlfriends, Sally, Ellie, Woodhouse and Fox–friends she kept throughout her long life. She claimed not to be as proficient at sports or academics as her friends were, so she surprised everybody, not the least herself, when she did extremely well on her college exams and was accepted to Vassar College, one of the premier colleges of the time.
Dorothy studied Philosophy and Religion at college and enjoyed experiencing life on the east coast and dancing in New York City. After graduation, she returned to Santa Barbara to study at the Brooks Institute of Photography. An interest in storytelling, whether through film or the written word, was a common thread throughout her life. Studying at Brooks Institute changed the course of her life. When she graduated, she became a film editor for Walt Disney Productions and married a fellow student, a handsome and likable Canadian named Stanley Triggs, the man with whom she would go on to have three children. Stanley and Dorothy worked together on nature films for Disney for several years before moving to Vancouver and pursuing other jobs. When the marriage broke up in 1961, Dorothy returned to Santa Barbara with her children and lived together with her mother who had purchased 20 acres of an old olive orchard at the end of Mission
Canyon Road.
There on a ridgetop, high above the city and backed up against the wilds of Los Padres National Forrest, Dorothy dedicated herself to raising her children as a single mother. She was loads of fun, a great listener and empathetic to many opinions, even if they differed from her own. Generous to a fault, the only thing she did not share with her children was her sparkling blue eyes: she kept those to herself, By all accounts, it was the only selfish act anyone could remember her doing. Not only was she a wonderful mother to her three children, but many of their friends also counted on her for comfort and counsel when they couldn’t find it elsewhere. Her children remember their peers bursting through the door at the family home and saying, “Sorry–I’m not here for you. I need to talk to your mother about something.”
Several interests persisted throughout her life and a a deep love of animals was one of them. Dogs, horses and wild birds, especially, crows, were perennial favorites, but she also owned martens and numerous cats over the years, and she consented to pretty much any animal her children asked for. The only demand she turned down was a request for a herd of goats to clear the brush on the property for her son so he wouldn’t have to do it himself. It was an idea ahead of its time, apparently. Dorothy also loved films, especially indie films and foreign films, politics, going to church at All Saints Episcopal Church and Quaker meetings, reading books and the New Yorker magazine, Public Television, strays of any kind (both animal and human), eating good meals with close friends, walking her dogs at Hendry’s Beach, and responding to the needs of friends and family no matter how immediate or difficult the challenge. By the family’s calculation, she was a patient advocate and self-appointed hospice nurse to at least ten family members, friends, and former employees, caring for them as needed during their final weeks and sitting in support at their bedside as they took their last breaths.
After taking a 25-year break from dating while raising her children, Dorothy – an unshakable romantic – fell in love with a documentary filmmaker. They traveled and worked on some films together for a little over a year before splitting up. She thought that, at the age of 65, that might be it for her in the romance department until a widower friend from her early film days began writing her letters. The man was Bob Sewell: He was a retired “Imagineering” creative for the Walt Disney Company and he became the love of her life; he was immediately accepted and loved by the entire family. Bob and Dorothy were glove and hand as partners: they adored each other and weathered Bob’s old age with grace and humor, enjoying 15 years together before Bob passed away at home in Dorothy’s arms.
Often described as “petite and sweet”, Dorothy was so much more than that. She often said that “she did not complain because she had to live with herself, and she did not want to live with a complainer.” She got to put this attitude to the test in abundance in her final decade and a half. It was a period filled with many challenges. In addition to losing her beloved Bob, she had hip surgery, went through cancer treatment, and lost her house in the Jesusita fire of 2009. All would agree that she met these challenges with grace, humor, and resilience. She could inspire herself to get through anything. Dorothy’s daughter remembers opening Dorothy’s medicine cabinet when her mother was undergoing treatment for lung cancer and seeing the word “COURAGE” secretly written in block letters on the mirror inside. Part of this strength of character came from her DNA, part of it came from her upbringing and part came from her spiritual faith. Dorothy became a Quaker after she married Bob and their belief in Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Harmony with Nature, aligned with her constitution and outlook on life and gave her strength and inspiration.
Dorothy will be remembered for those wonderful blue eyes; her cheerful resilience and energy; her loyalty and commitment to her friends; her sense of humor that made fun of herself and life, not other individuals; her liberal political views; her strong spiritual side and for always stepping up to do the right thing no matter how hard or how much of a personal sacrifice it meant. But most of all, she will be remembered for her undying commitment to giving love to many, many people, letting them know that their light was strong and beautiful–all of whom will miss her profoundly and forever.
Dorothy is survived by her three children, Robin Schievink (Phil Winterfield), Will Triggs (Tineke), and Ned Triggs (Vila Loukas), her stepchildren, Jeff Sewell (Cynthia), David Sewell (Meg), John Sewell (Pat), Cathy McCallister, Joan Guyer, and her five grandchildren, Wouter Schievink, Ryan Triggs, Jaden Triggs, Efthimia “Mia” Loukas and Alekios “Theo” Loukas.
The family sends endless waves of gratitude to all the remarkable people who cared for Dorothy during the final years of her life, especially Sara Aguiniga, Lyndy Belechere, Estela Chavez, Adriana Cortez, Patricia Espinosa, Maria Fuentes, Remy Rodriguez, and Xochitl Usher.
A Quaker ceremony will be held at the family property on July 16th. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Southern Poverty Law Center, PATH (People Assisting the Homeless), Planned Parenthood, Friends Committee on National Legislation.
