Obituary for Dorothy Quinn (Cummings)
Dorothy Quinn passed away at 91 in Marlborough CT on May 26th 2020, satisfied following a very productive life. She was born in South Paris Maine on June 30, 1928 to her Mom Etta (Seely) Cummings and Father George Cummings. Dorothy was the youngest of four, preceded by brother Sonny, and sisters Janet and Evelyne. Her parents and siblings each predeceased Dorothy.
Dorothy graduated South Paris High School in 1946, and traveled south to Hartford, CT with her close friend Esther Wheeler in 1947. In the late 1940s and early 1950s she was employed by the Silex Company, the phone company (SNET) as a telephone operator, the Institute of Living in the public relations department, and then at Aetna Insurance.
On a blind-date in 1948 She met her husband-to-be Joseph F. Quinn, a WWII veteran. They married in February 1950 and subsequently had five children: Michael (Lynn), Jeffrey, Brian (Chris), Kevin (Tina), and Janet. Dorothy very much enjoyed her 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Her grandson Bryan Joseph Quinn passed away in 1993, leaving a large hole in her heart; husband Joseph had passed in January 1976, and her life-long friend Esther passed in 2001.
Over the years Joe and Dorothy made their family home first in Hartford, Vernon, then Windsor Locks. Since 1981 Dorothy lived in her personally-designed abode in Marlborough CT with her son Michael and daughter-in-law Lynn (who helped considerably with Dorothy’s care over the past several years).
Before retiring in 1989 Dorothy had been employed at a local rehab facility prior to a 20-year career with an electronics firm. Dorothy’s life focus was on her family and grandchildren. While husband Joe often worked two jobs, she did a remarkable job keeping her five kids in books, promoting learning and making things work despite limited resources for many years. In between all this, Dorothy attended Asnuntuck CC, taking a few Spanish and general science courses.
During her 30-plus retirement years Dorothy hosted holiday dinners for large family gatherings, doing much of the food prep herself. Everyone looked forward to her Christmas meals, cookies and her exquisite carrot cake. In later years the holiday effort was taken on by Kevin and Tina, giving Mom a break.
Dorothy was a constant reader of science fiction and novels, reading 30-40 books yearly and completing crossword puzzle books when not reading. She was seldom late for Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, on which she did very well talking to the hosts. And, in 2002 she completed a family history of the Cummings Family back to 1630 as well as her Mom’s Seely family, a remarkable effort that took a few years – before the popular ancestry programs arrived.
Dorothy loved seeing her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. Most live or lived in Connecticut, and she would periodically travel to Florida to visit daughter Janet and her two sons. Up until a few years back she would send one dollar to each grandchild on holidays. Over the years Dottie adored and spoiled her Welsh Corgi puppies Little Bits, Bitlings, and Fluffy, and then her Yorkie pups Spike and Zachary, as well as her green-eyed black cat Witchy.
In addition to her children/their spouses and her 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, Dorothy leaves her sister-in-law Edna Quinn, as well as Cora Ross and Deborah Quinn, and many cousins, nieces and nephews on both the Cummings and Quinn sides of the family.
A celebration of Dorothy’s life will be held when the coronavirus issue has cleared and it is again safe to gather.
Please consider a donation in Dorothy’s memory to the Connecticut Humane Society https://cthumane.org. To leave an on-line condolence or share a memory with Dorothy’s family, please visit the Windsor Locks Funeral Home website https://www.windsorlocksfuneralhome.com.
Dorothy graduated South Paris High School in 1946, and traveled south to Hartford, CT with her close friend Esther Wheeler in 1947. In the late 1940s and early 1950s she was employed by the Silex Company, the phone company (SNET) as a telephone operator, the Institute of Living in the public relations department, and then at Aetna Insurance.
On a blind-date in 1948 She met her husband-to-be Joseph F. Quinn, a WWII veteran. They married in February 1950 and subsequently had five children: Michael (Lynn), Jeffrey, Brian (Chris), Kevin (Tina), and Janet. Dorothy very much enjoyed her 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Her grandson Bryan Joseph Quinn passed away in 1993, leaving a large hole in her heart; husband Joseph had passed in January 1976, and her life-long friend Esther passed in 2001.
Over the years Joe and Dorothy made their family home first in Hartford, Vernon, then Windsor Locks. Since 1981 Dorothy lived in her personally-designed abode in Marlborough CT with her son Michael and daughter-in-law Lynn (who helped considerably with Dorothy’s care over the past several years).
Before retiring in 1989 Dorothy had been employed at a local rehab facility prior to a 20-year career with an electronics firm. Dorothy’s life focus was on her family and grandchildren. While husband Joe often worked two jobs, she did a remarkable job keeping her five kids in books, promoting learning and making things work despite limited resources for many years. In between all this, Dorothy attended Asnuntuck CC, taking a few Spanish and general science courses.
During her 30-plus retirement years Dorothy hosted holiday dinners for large family gatherings, doing much of the food prep herself. Everyone looked forward to her Christmas meals, cookies and her exquisite carrot cake. In later years the holiday effort was taken on by Kevin and Tina, giving Mom a break.
Dorothy was a constant reader of science fiction and novels, reading 30-40 books yearly and completing crossword puzzle books when not reading. She was seldom late for Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, on which she did very well talking to the hosts. And, in 2002 she completed a family history of the Cummings Family back to 1630 as well as her Mom’s Seely family, a remarkable effort that took a few years – before the popular ancestry programs arrived.
Dorothy loved seeing her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. Most live or lived in Connecticut, and she would periodically travel to Florida to visit daughter Janet and her two sons. Up until a few years back she would send one dollar to each grandchild on holidays. Over the years Dottie adored and spoiled her Welsh Corgi puppies Little Bits, Bitlings, and Fluffy, and then her Yorkie pups Spike and Zachary, as well as her green-eyed black cat Witchy.
In addition to her children/their spouses and her 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, Dorothy leaves her sister-in-law Edna Quinn, as well as Cora Ross and Deborah Quinn, and many cousins, nieces and nephews on both the Cummings and Quinn sides of the family.
A celebration of Dorothy’s life will be held when the coronavirus issue has cleared and it is again safe to gather.
Please consider a donation in Dorothy’s memory to the Connecticut Humane Society https://cthumane.org. To leave an on-line condolence or share a memory with Dorothy’s family, please visit the Windsor Locks Funeral Home website https://www.windsorlocksfuneralhome.com.