Second Marriage and Family
Three years later, Dorothy married Grand Rapids businessman Gerald Rudolff Ford on February 1, 1917. They then called her first son Gerald Rudolff Ford, Jr., although he was not formally adopted by Ford. Gerald Ford, Jr. formally changed his name in 1935, in honor of his stepfather, the only father he really had. At the time, Ford adopted a more conventional spelling of his middle name. Later Ford recounted that his mother insisted he learn to control his temper, one he seemed to have inherited from his biological father.
Dorothy Ford bore three sons during her second marriage: Thomas Gardner Ford (July 15, 1918 - August 28, 1995), Richard Addison Ford (born June 3, 1924), and James Francis Ford (August 11, 1927 - January 23, 2001). All her children grew up with a rich relationship both with her parents, and with her husband and his family.
She and Gerald Ford, Sr. were buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids.
Read more about this topic: Dorothy Ayer Gardner Ford
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