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Dolores Hope, DC*SG (née DeFina; May 27, 1909 – September 19, 2011) was an American singer, entertainer, philanthropist, and wife of American actor and comedian Bob Hope.
During the 1930s, after working as a model, DeFina began her professional singing career, adopting the name Dolores Reade on the advice of her agent.Occupation as model cited in 1930 U. S. Federal Census, accessed on ancestry.com on September 20, 2011 On October 26, 1933, she appeared as vocalist on two Joe Venuti and His Orchestra recordings of 'Heat Wave" and "Easter Parade". (It was issued on Banner 32879, Melotone M-12828, Canadian Melotone 91649, Oriole 2783, Perfect 15838, Romeo 2156, and "Heat Wave" was also issued on British Decca F-5202.)
In 1933, after appearing at the Vogue Club, a Manhattan nightclub, Reade was introduced to Bob Hope. The couple reportedly were married on February 19, 1934, in Erie, Pennsylvania.Reportedly best, since no published source agrees the exact day or has uncovered a marriage certificate. What is known is that he married his vaudeville partner Grace Louise Troxell in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1933, but no divorce papers have been located, either. They later adopted four children from The Cradle in Evanston, Illinois: Eleanora, Linda, William (Kelly), and Anthony (d. 2004). "She was a woman of her words and a fine singer. Bob and Dolores were the talk of many people back in those holy days," says a friend, Malory Thorn. Bob and she celebrated their birthdays on May 28 every year – splitting the difference between their respective real birthdays.
In the 1940s, Dolores began helping her husband on his tours entertaining U.S. troops overseas, and she continued to do so for over 50 years. In 1990, she was the only female entertainer allowed to perform in Saudi Arabia.
At age 83, she recorded her first Compact Disc, Dolores Hope: Now and Then. She followed this with three additional albums and also recorded a Christmas CD with Bob titled Hopes for the Holidays.
On October 21, 2008, at 99, she was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California, after suffering a suspected stroke. Her publicist released a statement indicating that she spent less than four hours at the hospital, where she underwent routine testing. Report on Dolores Hope's health scare in 2008
In 2009, Dolores Hope became a centenarian; her birthday was featured on The Today Show, with her elder son saying in an ABC interview, "I think of her as love." "Dolores Hope Celebrates Her 100th" KABC Los Angeles. May 28, 2009.
On May 29, 2010, she was quoted as saying to local press, of her 101st birthday, "I'm still recovering from my 100th birthday bash, so I'm going to keep this year's celebration much quieter." On May 27, 2011, she celebrated her 102nd birthday at her California residence.
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