Dorothy R. Vota, 86, of Taylorville, passed away Jan. 1, 2017, at 4:16 p.m.  She was born Jan. 3, 1930, in Chicago, a daughter of John and Anna (Czabala) Spisak. She was raised in the Roseland neighborhood and attended Fenger Academy High School. Following graduation, she worked as a bookkeeper at both Celotex and Hart, Schafner and Marx in downtown Chicago.  Dorothy met her husband, Martin Vota, at Lake 26 near Spooner, Wisconsin, in 1951, where they would continue to vacation for the next four decades. She married Martin on May 30, 1953, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Chicago. Dorothy and Martin then moved to Decatur, Illinois, and opened Decatur Television Engineers when WAND-TV began broadcasting. In 1966, Dorothy and her family moved to Taylorville to continue to sell and repair televisions. She worked at Pepsi Cola in Taylorville before joining Martin to work at Vota TV and Appliances in Kincaid, Illinois, which the couple owned and operated until their retirement in 1989. Martin preceded her in death on Jan. 8, 2015. In her retirement, Dorothy took painting classes with her friends and crocheted afghans for her grandchildren. She gave her paintings to family and friends as gifts, some of which were featured in a display at the Christian County Courthouse. Dorothy loved shopping at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital gift shop for her loved ones and attending the hospital’s Christmas bazaar. She enjoyed following her family and friends on Facebook and emailing relatives in Europe. One of the special moments of her life was attending and participating in her grandson Matthew’s wedding. Dorothy was known for her great singing voice and released her own album in her early 20s. She was proud of her Slovakian heritage and was a lifelong member of the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association. Dorothy is survived by her children Cathy (Marty) Arnold of Aurora, Illinois, Martin (Deanna) Vota of Taylorville, Cindy Drea of Taylorville, Lori Ward of Rochester, Illinois, and Robin Vota of Springfield, Illinois; grandchildren Matthew (Paula) Arnold and Kaitie Arnold, Heidi (Tyson) Corbin and Haylen Vota, Andrew and Bridget Drea and Arika and Keegan Ward; an expected great-grandchild; nephews Dennis (Carol) Zarr of Overland Park, Kansas, and Richard (Susan) Zarr of Cedar Lake, Indiana; a brother-in-law Juan Cruz of Blue Island, Illinois; and several other nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; and sister Rita Cruz. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 6, at St. Rita Catholic Church, Kincaid. The Rev. Valery Burusu will officiate. Burial will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery, Taylorville. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, at Masterson Funeral Home, Kincaid, preceded by a short prayer service to begin at 4:45 p.m.
Memorials may be made to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in St. Louis.

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