Gwendolyn Dortch

Gwendolyn Alice Dortch, 83, went home to be with the Lord on October 7, 2026.

Funeral services will be held at 3:00 PM on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 in the Platts Funeral Home Belair Road Chapel with Rev Brian Cockrell officiating. The family will receive friends two hours prior to the service. Burial will follow at Bellevue Memorial Gardens. 

Born in 1943 at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, Gwen was the daughter of Leonard and Edith Dortch. As a military family, they moved often and even spent two years in Stuttgart, Germany, where Gwen attended high school. She later graduated from Baker High School in Columbus, Georgia, in 1961. She maintained lifelong friendships with her classmates and especially enjoyed attending their annual reunions.

Gwen spent the majority of her professional career working for the military in civil service at Fort Gordon. Her strong work ethic, attention to detail, and determination were evident in every aspect of her life.

Gwen was deeply involved in her community, volunteering with children’s cancer camp programs and facilitating a support group at Barney’s Pharmacy for women battling breast cancer. With a servant’s heart, she dedicated much of her life to helping others and regularly prayed for anyone in need. Her compassion and willingness to help those around her made her a pillar of the community.

A member of Sanctuary Church, Gwen’s close relationship with the Lord guided the way she lived her life.

Gwen took pride in looking her best, rarely missed a beauty shop appointment, and had a special love for the color purple, which often found its way into her wardrobe and accessories. She enjoyed baking, shopping, traveling, celebrating the holidays, and spending time with her dear friends.

Gwen is reunited in heaven with her mother, Edith Lee Dortch; her father, Leonard Dortch; and her brother, Steven Dale Dortch.

She is survived by her brother, Jack Dortch and his wife, Valentina; her nephew, Brian Dortch, his wife, Teresa; and their children, Veronica and Mikayla; her niece, Ashley Dortch, her husband, Stephen Barnard, and their children, Hudson and Edith; her niece, Kelley Krystalowych, her husband, Chris, and their children, Jack, Maya, and Sophia. She also leaves behind countless friends and extended family members whom she loved dearly.

Gwen will be remembered for her compassionate nature, her unwavering faith, her love of family and friends, and the countless ways she made a difference in the lives of those she touched.