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Esther Dingle Dove, a retired educator and church worker, dies at 91

In the classroom, Mrs. Dove was a task master and a strict disciplinarian. But she also loved her students and was dedicated to their development.

Esther Dingle Dove
Esther Dingle DoveRead moreCourtesy of the Dove Family (custom credit)

Esther Dingle Dove, 91, of Mount Airy, a retired educator and church worker, died Friday, Feb. 28, at hher home of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

Mrs. Dove was born in Manning, S.C., to Charley F. Dingle and Julia Ann McFadden Dingle. Her father died in 1931 when she was 3. In 1948, she graduated with honors from Scott’s Branch High School in Summerton, S.C., and then matriculated at Allen University in Columbia, S.C..

A year later, while still in college, she met Samuel C. Dove Sr., a master brick mason who would become the love of her life. They were married in 1950 and had five children.

Mrs. Dove and her husband followed the Great Migration north from Columbia to Washington, and then to Philadelphia, where they lived in Strawberry Mansion before settling in Mount Airy.

Mrs. Dove’s Christian faith was important to her. Initially, she was a member of Morris Brown A.M.E. Church in North Philadelphia. In the late 1960s, she left to join New Bethel A.M.E. Church of Germantown.

She was a founder, treasurer, and finally president of the church-sponsored federal credit Union. She was a lay organization volunteer, and a member of a church missionary society. She was active in a New Bethel youth program, visited the sick and shut-ins, and helped with Women’s Day and Unity Day celebrations.

Mrs. Dove was a great believer in education, a priority that led her to pursue a teaching career. She attended night school, and in 1972 at age 44 graduated from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Later, she earned a master’s degree in counseling from Antioch University.

She taught at the elementary level in the School District of Philadelphia for several decades before retiring at age 62. She taught second grade at Kenderton Elementary School and fifth grade at E. Washington Rhodes Elementary School, and was generally known as a fifth-grade teacher with good classroom management skills.

“With her students, Mrs. Dove was a taskmaster and strict disciplinarian,” her family said. “She did not play around.” But she loved her students and was dedicated to their development.

Outside the classroom, Mrs. Dove was known for her bubbly personality, the family said. She loved arts and culture, and took her children to the orchestra, opera, museums, plays, and historical and cultural events featuring African Americans.

One of her favorites was the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, in which her nephew Ulysses G. Dove Jr. was a principal dancer and choreographer.

She toured the United States with her family in a recreational vehicle or in the family’s station wagon. A favorite destination was South Carolina to visit family.

Mrs. Dove had willing travel companions in her husband; her sister, Rhoda Dingle, and a cousin. They went in various combinations to Egypt, Senegal, Ghana, South Africa, Germany, France, Canada, and the Caribbean.

She loved to read and passed on that love to her children. She also enjoyed receiving flowers, cooking, and entertaining in her home. She sewed and made quilts.

Mrs. Dove’s sister was her best friend. “I thank my sister, Esther, for all the examples of giving tender, firm love to our family and friends,” her sister said. “I will always cherish and remember all that she taught me.”

Mrs. Dove’s husband died last June, 10 days after their 69th wedding anniversary. Besides her sister, she is survived by children Samuel C. Jr., Alonzo I., Pheralyn C., Esther L., and Stephanie O. Dove; three grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; and nieces and nephews.

A viewing starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 7, will be followed by an 11 a.m. celebration of life service at New Bethel A.M.E. Church, 6153 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19144. Interment is at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 9, at Washington Crossing National Cemetery, Newtown.

Donations may be made to the New Bethel church at the address above.