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MASTER DOROTHY NICHOLAS

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I was honored and privileged to speak at Ms. D’s memorial brunch following her funeral service. The text appears below.

"We are here this morning to celebrate the life of Dorothy Nicholas, who I will always remember as Ms. D. And there is much to celebrate: a beautiful family, and a life lived with purpose, dedication and rare achievement. Many of you are familiar with Ms. D’s accomplishments as a martial artist and martial arts teacher. She was among the highest ranked Judo and Taekwondo practitioners in the state of Pennsylvania, beginning her training when few women practiced martial arts and even fewer rose to her level of accomplishment. However, in my mind, the innumerable lives Ms. D. touched and the positive effect she had on those lives are a much greater accomplishment. During our twenty-year association I cannot tell you how many young people, and not so young people, benefited from her thoughtful instruction, kindness and, yes, when necessary, strict discipline. All of her students loved her; she was not only our teacher, but also our surrogate Mother, Aunt, Sister, and friend. We were all part of her family. Ms. D simply cared for and helped everyone she met, and did so without compromise or the expectation of reward. It was simply how she lived her life. In today’s world, that is a remarkable epitaph. As I stand here this morning and think of Ms. D, I recall her courage (never more in evidence than in the last weeks of her life), dedication, strength, uncompromising integrity, compassion, tenacity, humor, and love. Ms. D leaves us this as her legacy."

Master Chris Moore