Dorothy Howell was born in Chicago, the daughter of Edwin John Howell, Jr. (1897-1946), a Chicago firefighter,[REF] and Della Murray (1902-1960) [REF].
Having had enough, Dorothy left home at the young age of fourteen in the depths of the Great Depression, working as a housekeeper, cook, and nanny for a San Gabriel, California family, being paid $3 a week [REF].