CLEVELAND, February 20 — The National Division of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is saddened to report the passing of Sister Lori T. Dewey — a pioneering member of the founding Local Division of the BLET.
Sister Dewey was one of — if not the first — women to serve as President of a BLET Local Division. She served as President of BLET Division 1 in Detroit, Michigan, from September 2007 through December 2009. Founded in May of 1863, Division 1 is the oldest Local Division in the nearly 153-year history of the BLET.
Sister Dewey, age 43, passed away after a heroic struggle with cancer on February 17. A Norfolk Southern locomotive engineer who originally hired out on Conrail, Sister Dewey joined Division 1 of the BLET on September 1, 2001. She served her Division as President from 2007-2009, and as Secretary-Treasurer from January 2010 through September 2015. Sister Dewey also represented BLET Division 1 as Delegate to BLET National Division Conventions in 2010 and 2014. In 2008, she was invited to and spoke at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Women’s Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Sister Dewey was an avid Detroit Lions fan. She loved trips to Las Vegas and spending time with her friends and family. She loved to spend time with her cat, Tigger, and enjoyed her job and her coworkers as a locomotive engineer at Norfolk Southern. Sister Dewey will be deeply missed by family and friends, including many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is survived by her mother, Carol Dewey, sister, Julieann (Joseph) Garlitz, nephew Johnathan Fronczak, and grandmother, Julienne Steffen. She is preceded in death by her father, Henry Dewey, and her grandparents, the late Richard Steffen, and Elizabeth and Elmer Dewey.
A visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 23, 2016, from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Taylor Chapel of Voran Funeral Home (23750 Goddard Road, Taylor, MI 48180, telephone (313) 291-1800). A funeral service will be held at the same location on Wednesday, February 24, at 11:00 a.m. Online condolences may be left on the Voran Funeral Home website. Donations may be made to Karmanos Cancer Institute.
“It is a terrible tragedy that Sister Lori was taken from her family and friends at such a young age,” said BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce. “She is gone too soon but her legacy will remain in the hearts of all those who had the pleasure of knowing her and working with her throughout the years. On behalf of the entire BLET, I extend deepest condolences to her family, friends, and our Brothers and Sisters of Division 1 in Detroit. Sister Dewey will be truly missed.”