Thanksgiving crash victim loved family, even in the hardest of times

Family was important to Mike Dorton.

A 39-year-old father of seven was one of five siblings adopted by the same Pasco woman, Alsenia Dorton.

It was Mike Dorton’s love of family that put him on Columbia Park Trail on Thanksgiving evening when he crashed his Chevy Blazer. He was driving from a holiday dinner with one family to be with another family when he lost control.

He died Sunday morning at Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Since his death, Dorton’s Facebook filled with people mourning the passing of the man, described as a joy to be around.

“He always tried to build up the kids around him,” Melissa Blasdel posted. “He was a family man.”

Dorton’s life was marked with overcoming challenges that may have daunted lesser people, his brother, Doug Dorton of Pasco told the Herald.

When they were younger, the brothers robbed a bank and spent time in prison.

When Doug Dorton was released, he made a decision to give back to the community and turn his life around. His brother saw this and asked how he could do the same.

“I told him, ‘If you want something different, you have to do something different. You have to cut off ties to all your old friends,’” said Doug Dorton.

So, Mike Dorton surrounded himself with family and others who refused to give up on him, and began to volunteer.

He spent his free time helping youth sports organizations such as Little League baseball and Pasco Youth Football. He married Cynthia Dorton 17 years ago and worked as a safety coordinator at Pasco Processing.

But then there was another family problem two years ago when his stepsons, Jaden and Nathan Quintero, were charged in connection with the October 2015 murder of George Garcia Thacker.

Now, Nathan Quintero is serving 16 years for first-degree manslaughter. Jaden Quintero helped his brother avoid capture for two weeks and spent 21 months in jail.

At the time, he stood behind his family but still expressed sorrow for Thacker’s family and their loss.

“He was a motivator and a mentor,” his brother said. “He was the loudest guy on the sideline. He just wanted to spend his life motivating the youth of today.”

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 7:54 PM with the headline "Thanksgiving crash victim loved family, even in the hardest of times."