Dorothy B Benedict Obituary (1923 - 2012)

Born on December 9, 1923 in Ft. Eustis, Virginia, Dorothy passed away on October 23, 2012 after a short illness. She lived at DYouville Senior Care in Lowell, MA since 2010. A private memorial will be held; her ashes will be buried near her grandparents in Rye, NH. Dorothy is survived by her daughter Christine McCaughin (Keith), two sons Mark and Hubbard (Karen), and two grandsons Maxwell and Graham Benedict. Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years Robert E. Benedict, her brother Capt. Robert S. Burdick, USN Ret., and her parents Harold D. and Florence Mildred Burdick. Dorothy attended the Brookline, MA public schools and graduated from Simmons College, Boston in 1945. In 1966 she earned an MS in Science Education-Nutrition at Teachers College, Columbia University. She continued her graduate work at the University of Washington in Seattle. A Registered Dietitian, Dorothy taught nutrition at the University of Connecticut, Waterbury, and provided dietetic consultation for patients in nursing homes in California and on Cape Cod. Dorothy moved many times, following the career of her husband. Wherever she went she made a home for her family, raising three children and a black Labrador retriever. She felt most at home on Cape Cod, living first in New Seabury, then returning later to live in Chatham until 2006. With her husband, Dorothy traveled to Europe, Latin America, Asia, and, with a group of dietitians, to China. In her youth Dorothy played piano, tennis, taught swimming and sailed. She enjoyed playing contract bridge. Dorothy loved animals and derived great pleasure from nature. She was an early reader of Rachel Carsons works, gardened avidly and kept bird feeders wherever she lived. In California she kept horses and learned dressage. She enjoyed golf and walking in natural areas. Dorothy was a member of the Chatham Walkers and participated in conservation efforts in the communities in which she lived. She passed on her love and respect for nature, and a scientists appreciation for ecology, to her children. Her family is sad that she is gone, but grateful that she is freed from the illnesses that made her life difficult. Memorial donations may be made to Mass Audubon, 208 Great South Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773. Interment Location Private burial in Rye, New Hampshire.