Dorothy Fastenau

Dee (Dorothy) Edwards Fastenau June 7, 1921 – June 10, 2017 Dee (Dorothy) Edwards Fastenau was the only child of John (Jack) William Edwards and Anne Dagmar (Bray) Edwards, both of whom were born in Gravesend, Kent, England. Her parents married in 1920 at St. George’s Church, Gravesend, the church where Pocahontas was buried. Jack then brought his bride to New York where he was working for a British shipping line. Dee was born on June 7, 1921 in Manhattan, New York. Dee spent her childhood and teenage years in Valley Stream, New York. As a child she showed initiative in starting a lending library for neighborhood children, lending books from her own collection and charging a five cent return fee so that she could buy new books to add to her lending library. Her love of writing received early encouragement with awards for her essays printed in various children’s magazines. Dee met her future husband, Frederick Henry Fastenau, Jr., at a roller skating rink in Valley Stream, when they were juniors in high school. She saw the local football star across the rink and told her best friend he was going to come over to ask her to skate with him—and he did. The high school sweethearts married on June 3, 1945 with the groom still in uniform, having served with the Army Air Corps in Italy. (Sadly their 65th wedding anniversary occurred on the day of Fred’s death, June 3, 2010.) During the war years, Dee worked for public relations firms in New York City, while eagerly waiting for his letters and worringly scanning the daily newspaper listings of soldiers who had been injured or died or were missing in action. After graduating from high school in 1939, Dee first attended Bethany College in West Virginia before transferring to Ohio University where she majored in Journalism and Public Relations. She was active in many college activities, including being one of the first broadcasters on the University’s newly established radio station. She was delighted with her first broadcast and returned to her dorm expecting excited commentary and compliments from her fellow students only to find that no one had heard her broadcast: one of the student technicians had accidently pulled the plug. Her work as a sports journalist on the University’s newspaper led her Journalism professor to try to persuade her to take up a position as a sports journalist on a major Ohio newspaper, but her first love was Public Relations, so she turned down the opportunity, preferring to go to New York City to work in Public Relations. Dee and Fred welcomed their first children, the twins Sharyn and Maureen, several years after their marriage. Both parents were amazed—and unprepared—to find themselves the parents of twins as Dee’s obstetrician thought it best not to alert her to the fact that she was having two babies. Sharyn and Maureen were followed by two more children, Cathi (officially Kathy) and Frederick Henry Fastenau III. The first ten years of their marriage was a commuting marriage with Fred working first in New Jersey and then in California while Dee raised the children in Huntington Station, Long Island, New York. In 1958 the family moved to California, settling in San Carlos where Dee and Fred lived for the rest of their lives. When her children reached adolescence, Dee returned to the workforce. For a number of years, she was the Women’s Page Editor of the San Carlos Enquirer. She later wrote the “On the Peninsula” column for the San Jose Mercury News, covering various social and charitable events as well as writing feature stories focusing on people of accomplishment in the San Mateo County area. From the late 1960s-1990s, Dee also ran her own public relations company as well as volunteering her expertise in public relations to numerous appreciative community and charitable organizations. After leaving the San Jose Mercury News, Dee trained and worked in the 1980s-1990s as a travel agent. She and her husband and children had previously travelled widely in the United States and Mexico. When the family moved to California in 1958, Dee and Fred ensured the trip offered their children many opportunities to appreciate the beauty, diversity, and history of the United States. The family and their car became well known along the highwats as the family was accompanied by a parakeet whose cage hung from a coat hook and the cat sometimes sat on the back window shelf. In 1972, Dee made her first trip to Europe, facilitated by the low fares provided by the British American Club. Stopping first in England, she met her English relatives who converged on London to welcome her with dinners and sightseeing tours. A highlight of the first days in England was a private tour of the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art organized by her cousin Laurie Bray, the Assistant Secretary of the Academy. They viewed the Exhibition after closing hours, sharing the gallery with the then Prime Minister, Edward Heath, on his own private tour of the Exhibition. Another of the highlights of this trip was a visit to the Keukenhof Gardens in The Netherlands to see the annual display of tulips, and spending hours deciding which tulip bulbs to purchase for herself and her avid gardener father. Dee’s and Fred’s enjoyment of travel saw them visiting over 60 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and South America during their retirement years. They often remarked with wonder and pleasure that they had so many opportunities to travel the wide world and meet so many interesting people. They were among the first tourists to visit China. They made friends wherever they went, and Dee’s firsthand experiences with conditions and accommodations and sights “off the beaten track” enabled her to provide much appreciated advice and guidance to her clients who frequently wrote her letters expressing their delight at the fascinating and unique experiences she organized for them. Dee found the time while working to contribute significantly to a number of San Mateo charitable and philanthropic organizations, including the California Youth Symphony, drawing on her public relations expertise to promote those organizations and their events and activities. She contributed financially to a numerous charities and philanthropies. She was particularly interested in supporting those for the education of American Indian students, and was especially committed to supporting the St. Joseph’s Indian School in South Dakota, seeking out and sending books for the school’s library and classrooms in addition to financial contributions. She also supported a number of organizations for the protection and care of animals. Dee is survived by her four grateful and loving children and their partners who she cherished and nurtured and whose lives were deeply enriched by her love and support: Sharyn and Michael Bruno (San Carlos, California), Maureen Fastenau and Peter Newbury (Melbourne, Australia), Cathi Borthwick and Ken Walters (Flagstaff, Arizona), and Fred and Rhonda Fastenau (Westerville, Ohio). She loved and will be lovingly remembered by her grandchildren: Anthony (Tony) Bruno (and his wife Christine) and Christina Bruno (dec.); and Victoria, Catherine, and Schuyler Fastenau. And, also by her great-granddaughters who were her delight: Siena and Giana Bruno. Dee’s husband, Fred Fastenau, died on June 3, 2010, and she missed him dreadfully during the remaining years of her life. The family offers sincere thanks and deep appreciation to Mary Holman who cared lovingly for Dee in the last few years of her life and became a beloved friend of not only Dee but also of her children. The family also offers its sincere thanks and appreciation to the carers, particularly Lorna and Emilia, at the 5 Star Care Home, Redwood Shores who offered compassionate and competent care to Dee (and to her beloved cat Sweetie) in her last four months. Thanks also to Mrs. Evelina Melkonyan, the owner of the care home, who allowed Dee to bring her beloved companion cat, Sweetie to reside with her. In 2009, Dee’s and Fred’s children decided to honor their parents by establishing a scholarship in their name in recognition of the commitment they had made to ensuring that their daughters and son had a university education as a foundation for the adult lives. Those wishing to contribute to this scholarship fund in Dee’s memory may do so by sending their check to Cathi Borthwick, 118 Sherwood Lane, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, for deposit into the scholarship fund; Cathi is the Treasurer of the Fund. (Please note on the memo line on your check “for Fred and Dee Fastenau Scholarship Fund.”) The family plans to hold a “Celebration of Life” memorial service to honor and remember their mom. Please contact Maureen Fastenau or Cathi Borthwick on 650-591-3817 for details and information.