Dorothy E. Bond, a retired nurse, Charles Village activist and church volunteer, died Tuesday of kidney failure at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care in Towson. She was 86 and had lived for many years at 25th Street's Brentwood senior citizen apartment building.
Active in neighborhood organizations and local Democratic political campaigns, in the 1960s and 1970s she helped run the Midtown Churches Community Association Thrift Store, a charity at St. Paul and 20th streets cooperatively run by neighborhood religious institutions.
Born in Marriottsville, the former Dorothy Elizabeth Reynolds moved to Baltimore as a child. She and her parents lived on Oak Street, above North Avenue, a thoroughfare whose name was later changed to Howard Street. She studied nursing and worked at local nursing homes in the 1940s and 1950s.
"She was a real character, a headstrong, outspoken woman, but we still called her "Aunt Sug" -- short for 'Sugar,'" said Clarence V. Reynolds, a great-nephew who lives in New York.
"She was an astute observer, and not much slipped past her," he said. "She would say to people: 'Sit down. I have questions, and I want answers.'"
A member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Mrs. Bond became involved in local political campaigns, working for candidates she believed helped her community.
After living on Guilford Avenue, she moved in the 1970s to the Brentwood, at the time a new senior citizen building.
"She became the unofficial ombudsman of the Brentwood," said Katharine LeVeque, a friend who lives on Calvert Street. "She'd call up city officials and discuss the way her building was run. And she got out the vote on election days. She was an advocate for elderly rights -- and a deeply spiritual person." Mrs. Bond was a former member of Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Former Mayor William Donald Schaefer recognized Mrs. Bond for "outstanding volunteer work" in social services. She also was recognized by the city Health Department for her service to the Brentwood Food Club and the Brentwood Buddy Group.
Whatever she did, she did with verve. "She wore capes and hats with a flair," LeVeque said. "Her style was a part of her life."
Mrs. Bond was an enthusiastic Orioles fan. Family members said that her physician suggested she stop going to games because her excessive cheering elevated her blood pressure. In recent years, she watched games on television. At times, when she became disenchanted with the team, she would temporarily switch her loyalty to the Atlanta Braves.
In 1946, she married Ben Bond. He died in 1964.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. today at Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation, University Parkway and St. Paul Street.
Mrs. Bond is survived by a nephew, Michael Wilkins of Aberdeen; and a niece, Jean Smith of Las Vegas.