Delores L Fort

Delores L. Fort, 85 – a beloved matriarch to many – passed away peacefully on August 6, 2023, at her longtime home in Milford, Delaware. Delores was born on September 7, 1937, in Baltimore, Maryland, to parents Samuel B. Green Sr., and Beatrice Wilkins. She came of age in Baltimore, and subsequently relocated to Delaware where she met and married John V. Fort Sr. 

Delores built her home and legacy on Greentop and later in Milford, where she raised her children and numerous grandchildren. Over the years, Delores imprinted her kind, sassy, and maternal spirit on the community. She proudly called Bethel AME Church her spiritual home and treasured her fellowship with other congregants over the years. She spent years serving Kent County as a volunteer poll worker, helping friends and neighbors exercise the right to vote and make their community a better place for all. But perhaps most notably, she embraced the role of a mother figure to many throughout the community – her dear children and grandchildren, their friends whom she loved as her own, cherished nieces and nephews, and others whose lives were benefited by her touch. Delores went above and beyond the call of duty for many, opening her heart and home to care for, feed, guide, house, and nurture countless loved ones throughout her lifetime. It gave her tremendous pride to plant roots and build her home in Milford, but more importantly to share that blessing with others. 

Beyond her kind heart, God gifted Delores with an infectious laugh, bold spirit, and eye for style. Delores was a talented cook, but it was her delicious potato salad and fried oodles-and-noodles that gained local fame. She was especially known for her passion for fashion, which she shared with multiple generations of family and friends by dressing them in her handmade creations over the years. Passion may be an understatement for Delores’s gift as a seamstress – to Delores, bringing her creations to life was what she called, “a feeling like falling in love.” 

Delores leaves behind a host of loved ones: children John Fort Jr., Gina Scott, and Carla (Spiva) Haynes; siblings Milton (Juanita) Robinson, Samuel (Mey) Green Jr., Stanton (Jean) Green, Curtis (Theresa) Finney, Sandra Dow, and Joyce Pendleton; grandchildren William (Crystal) Bennett Jr., Tyronda Bennett, Eric Bennett, Lance Fort Jr., Dominique Fort, Brittney Haynes, Jarrell Smith, Dariyon Smith, and Jordon Smith; a growing generation of great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren; and many other cherished friends and family members including special niece Tina Williams and nephews Louis and Cleveland Whidbee, who were kindly devoted to giving her much-appreciated care during her illness. She is preceded in death by parents Samuel and Beatrice and stepfather Vernon Finney Sr.; husband John; siblings Betty Jackson, Mildred Whidbee, and Vernon Finney Sr.; children Alisha Fort, Lance Fort Sr., and Gregg Smith Sr.; and grandchildren Gregg Smith Jr., and Adriene Bennett.

Family and friends will be received on Thursday, August 17, 2023, for a visitation at 10:30 a.m., which will be followed immediately by a funeral service at 12:00 p.m. – both at Mt. Enon Baptist Church in Milford. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family on the McPherson Funeral Services website.

The family extends deep gratitude to Meals on Wheels of Delaware, Vitas Hospice Care, and the many friends who lent their compassionate care to mother Delores. 
 

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