Woman, hit by her own car, dies

The victim left the car in reverse when she got out to shut the trunk, deputies say.

By Joel Anderson, Times Staff Writer
Published March 13, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT Dorothy Davis Fannin, 84, died Tuesday night at Spring Hill Regional.

SPRING HILL - Joe Fannin met her on a whim, tagging along with a friend to a party while on a business trip in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1955. And it was clear to him from that evening forward that Dorothy Davis was more than enough to make a traveling man give up the sun and surf of San Diego.

Within three months, Fannin had found a job in Buffalo and moved more than 2,500 miles across the country to be with Dorothy. They were married two years later, and were rarely apart after that.

But for the first time in a very long time Wednesday, Joe Fannin was all alone. His beloved wife of 50 years, Dorothy Davis Fannin, died Tuesday night from injuries suffered after being run over by her own car in the parking lot of First United Methodist Church in Spring Hill.

"I'm just bumping into the walls," said Joe Fannin, sitting forlornly in the kitchen of the Spring Hill home the couple shared. "Today is rough. But Tuesday was even rougher."

Mrs. Fannin stepped out of her car just before noon Tuesday but left the 1993 Mercury Sable in reverse when she went to shut the trunk, according to a preliminary Hernando County Sheriff's Office report. The vehicle backed over her and she sustained injuries to her legs, hip and head. The car stopped when it struck a pole in the parking lot, the report states.

Mrs. Fannin, 84, died from her injuries later that night at Spring Hill Regional Hospital. She is survived by her husband, a twin sister who lives in Buffalo and a younger sister who lives in Wayne, Pa.

"We lived a quiet, peaceful life for 50 years," Joe Fannin told a visitor Wednesday, a faint smile creasing his lips.

"Dorothy was the finest person in the world. Anything you can think of, she was the best at. I was just the luckiest man."

The couple weren't in Buffalo long together; they spent 17 years knocking around the country as Joe pursued a career as a consulting engineer and Dorothy turned every new stopover into their home. They eventually settled in Florida in 1972, living in Largo for the next 13 years.

That was until Dorothy picked out a new home in Spring Hill on Evenglow Avenue in 1985. The two-bedroom house, with large windows lining the back, bordered a golf course, giving Joe a chance to indulge his favorite hobby and offering Dorothy a picturesque backyard tableau.

"That's why I was receptive to the idea of living here," Joe said. "I was an avid golfer and she enjoyed watching the people go by. Dorothy would always say there's a good view from every window in this house."

But even after a life spent on the go, the Fannins still had a passion for traveling. They continued to vacation often, Joe said, with a preference for locales with sunny skies and beaches.

Only a day into his grief, Joe's memories often alternated between poignant and painful. He made one request of his visitor.

"Make her sound like a princess."

Joel Anderson can be reached at joelanderson@sptimes.com or 754-6120.

[Last modified March 12, 2008, 20:38:02]