Dorothy Gerrity Obituary, Dorothy Gerrity Has Passed Away Aged 83 – Death Cause
Dorothy Gerrity Obituary, Death – On April 3, 2023, at the age of 83, Dorothy “Dottie” Gerrity, who had previously lived in Bellaire, Michigan and Naples, Florida, died away peacefully in the company of her loved ones. Dorothy Lee Arnold entered this world on March 9, 1940, in Detroit, Michigan. She is the second of three children born to parents Lee Edward Arnold and Dorothy Helen Arnold.
Dottie was predeceased by her parents, older sister Sharon Shore, and husband Robert (“Bob”) Gerrity. Dottie Shore’s older sister was named Sharon. Her children, Dan Gerrity (Marjorie Benditt) of Seattle, Washington, Patrick Gerrity (Ann Arbor, Michigan), Neil Gerrity (Holly Gerrity) of Bellaire, and Erin Fry (Dallas, Texas), as well as her younger sister Kathy Stafford of Bellaire, survive her.
Her Bellaire, Texas, husband, Neil Gerrity, also lives on (Barnaby Fry). Aside from her siblings and nephews, Dottie is survived by eight grandchildren, one great-grandson, and another great-grandchild on the way. Our hearts break with her loss. Dottie graduated from Poland Seminary High School in 1958, and while there, she participated in the school’s National Honor Society and was the homecoming queen.
When Dottie finished high school, she enrolled at Michigan State University, where she met Bob, who, on the first day of classes, offered to help her with her luggage. Dottie and Bob were married on September 10, 1960. They first started raising their family in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Dottie, Bob, and their four kids relocated to Wooster, Ohio, in 1974. Dottie became the oldest student ever at the College of Wooster when she enrolled there to work for her bachelor’s degree.
She finished at the top of her class. At the age of 36, she went back to school and earned a degree in sociology. Many volumes of her poems were published during her tenure as an English teacher at Wooster High School. During her time at Wooster, she also solidified her commitment to issues of political and social justice. Dottie was an active member of the Democratic Party and a passionate supporter of equal rights for women and minorities.
Dottie began her career in the construction industry when she moved to Ann Arbor in 1979 and got a job working on the Northbury Condominium. She ended up spending the remainder of her life there. Dottie and Bob traveled much together and made many acquaintances from all walks of life. The pair initially settled in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and London, England before settling permanently in Northern Michigan and Southwestern Florida.
Dottie exemplified the ideal volunteer. She volunteered at the Northwestern Michigan College dean’s office in Traverse City. In addition, she devoted a great deal of time to volunteering at the Bellaire-based Torch Lake Yacht Club. Dottie is an active member of the Naples community, having served as Chair of the Collier County Community Foundation.
