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Dorethea Mae Stanback Shuler, 83, hospital and nursing home nurse

She came to Philadelphia from the tobacco fields of the South. yo

WHEN Dorethea Mae Shuler arrived in Philadelphia in the mid-1960s, she had a couple of strikes against her.

Her marriage had ended and she had small children to care for. She was African-American, which in the 1960s was more of an obstacle than it is today, and she had no job skills.

What Dorethea did have was a desire to care for others, the sick and the needy of her adopted city, and she set about doing just that.

She obtained a license as a practical nurse and went to work in local hospitals and nursing homes, delivering her special brand of love and compassion to those who needed her most.

Dorethea Mae Stanback Shuler, who was raised in the tobacco fields of North Carolina, a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and world traveler, died Oct. 7 of heart disease. She was 83 and lived in West Philadelphia.

"After living what had been for a long time in a traditional woman's role, Dorethea decided to defy what was considered typical and become a working single mother," said her granddaughter, Alexis D. Shuler.

"She ignored discrimination, racism, and those who said that it couldn't be done."

Dorethea was born in Durham, N.C., to Ollie Roosevelt Stanback and Addie Mae Wall. She spent her formative years in Rockingham, N.C., where she attended Laurinburg Institute. After her parents broke up, her father moved to Philadelphia, where she joined him.

She attended West Philadelphia High School, then returned to North Carolina for a time before moving out again. She lived for a while in Rochester, N.Y., then in Akron, Ohio, after marrying Claude Shuler Jr.

"She was like many mothers during the 1950s, a stay-at-home mom who took pride in raising her children and keeping house," her granddaughter said.

But the marriage didn't last, and Dorethea returned to Philadelphia to live with her father in West Philadelphia.

As a licensed-practical nurse, Dorethea worked at various Philadelphia hospitals, including Mercy-Douglass and Presbyterian, and in nursing homes. At New Ralston House, a nursing home at 36th and Chestnut streets, she worked her way up to admissions manager.

In her 50s, she went back to school and earned a bachelor's degree from Antioch University.

"My grandmother was a woman who understood people and never had a problem serving others," Alexis said. "She cared for patients in hospitals and nursing homes with love, care and compassion. She did her best to make sure that each and every one of her patients was receiving the best care."

Dorethea was a devoted traveler, roaming throughout Europe, South America, the Caribbean and even Antarctica.

When Dorethea was working full time, her daughter, Claudia D. Shuler, had one important assignment: Write down or remember what happened on the day's adventures on "General Hospital" so she could relate them to Mom.

Besides her daughter, she is survived by two sons, Warner D. Shelton and Anthony P. Shuler Sr.; three other grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Services: Funeral Mass 8 tonight at St. Barbara's Church, 54th Street and Lebanon Avenue. Friends may call at 7 p.m.