Dorothy Nickerson

Dorothy Anthony Nickerson, slipped away peacefully in her sleep on April 24, 2025, at the Hospice House in Charlottesville. Dottie navigated life's challenges with unwavering fortitude, a life rich with love both given and received.

Dottie is survived by her son, Eric Lee Nickerson of St. Petersburg, Florida, and his children, Meredith Orlowski (Michael Orlowski), Kyle Nickerson, and Casey Nickerson (James Gossett), along with great-grandchildren Rowan Orlowski, Willem Orlowski, and Rhys Nickerson Gossett. Also mourning her passing, her daughter Janice Ann Dresser of Medway, Massachusetts, and Janice's daughter Janell Prefontaine (Chuck Prefontaine), grandchildren Ryan Gray, Raven Gray, Jade Gray, and great-grandchildren Xander Gray-Lombardi, Avaiah “Vi” Prefontaine, and Osvaldo “Ozzy” Gray-Melendez. Dottie’s daughter, Jennifer Claire Smith (Fr. G. Miles Smith), and Jennifer's children, Jason Hoffman, Samuel Hoffman, Katherine Hoffman, Maxwell Hoffman, and Grace Hoffman (Devin Dougharty), will forever cherish her memory.

Born on July 20, 1925, in Jasonville, Indiana, Dottie was the daughter of Robert LeRoy Anthony and Zella Ethel Craig Anthony. She had two older sisters, Rosemary and Eva who was always called “Tiny”. Dottie loved them dearly and they remained close despite living far apart after marriage. Dottie told the story of being sent away to a friend’s farm one summer as a child, only to return to find a new baby sister, Cora Nell. To this day, Cora Nell’s more recent death still brought Dottie to tears.

Dottie was the salutatorian of her high school class. She began work as a Stenographer at the U.S. Naval Ammunition Depot in Crane, Indiana, in 1943. She left her home for Waltham, Massachusetts to join U.S. Navy Radioman, Kenneth Earl Nickerson, when he returned from overseas duty. Dottie and Ken married on August 16, 1944, in a ceremony officiated by Dottie's mother, Zella, an ordained Assembly of God minister. They lived in various parts of New England before settling in Needham, Massachusetts in the 60s.

Dottie inherited a love of fashion from both her “mod” mother and her dapper father. As a talented seamstress, sewing her own clothing, she even took millinery classes to craft her own hats. Both her daughters had the special experience of wearing wedding gowns sewn by their mother. Grandchildren were made imaginative costumes.

Dottie’s daughter Janice fondly recalls her mother’s remarkable ability to blend her passions: “I always remember her trying out a new elaborate dinner for the first time on her guests while simultaneously making the dress she would wear! She was unflappable about entertaining, and everything was always perfect! I would even offer to do spring cleaning in exchange for my new spring wardrobe! And of course,” Janice adds, “she also made my prom dress!”

After raising children to school age, Dottie was the school secretary at Stephen Palmer Elementary School and then Needham Senior High School, until retiring in 1982. Dottie and Ken then enjoyed their lives as "snowbirds," spending summers in South Yarmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and winters in St. Augustine, Florida. Dottie always expressed thankfulness for her blessed life with Ken. They traveled to islands like Bermuda and Jamaica, toured Europe, and lived up and down the East Coast from Maine to Florida. They traveled coast to coast through the U.S. and Canada.

In 2001, Dottie and Ken moved to Lake Monticello, Virginia, where Dottie made many beloved friends through Cunningham United Methodist Church and various tennis and social groups. She was involved in a prayer shawl ministry, fundraisers, and quilt raffles. A lifelong learner, she loved to take Bible study classes – even by Zoom. She took jewelry-making classes, calligraphy classes, and added Mahjong to her already advanced skills at Bridge.

Even at the impressive age of 99, Dottie bravely used technology—computers, iPads, iPhones, streaming services, Facebook, and online bridge and free cell—not with expert skill, but with an enthusiasm for entertainment and, crucially, for staying connected with her loved ones. Grandchildren will never forget playing games with Nana. Even at age 99¾, she recently beat her grandson at Sequence -- he didn’t even let her win. There were many hilarious games of Apples to Apples and What Do You Meme, where her sharp wit and unexpected humor often left everyone in stitches.

Everywhere Dottie lived, she found a church home. Growing up in the Assembly of God church where her mother was the pastor, Dottie reflected, in her own words, “I remember sitting in church regularly with my Daddy. He would lead the singing, then sit with me while Mother preached. My mother seemed like a different person when in the pulpit. I didn’t understand most of her sermons but did understand reverence to God and I can’t remember any time that I felt distant from God.”

Dottie was a Baptist in Maine, a Congregationalist in Needham, MA, a Methodist on Cape Cod and in Palmyra, VA, and was becoming a pretty good Episcopalian on the side attending Grace Episcopal Church, Keswick, where her daughter Jennifer attends, and Dottie’s son-in-law is the Rector. She was a remarkably open-minded woman. After Ken's passing in 2013, Dottie lived independently until December 2024, when she moved to Hospice House, receiving excellent care until her death.

A service to honor Dottie's life will be celebrated at a later date, at Cunningham United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Cunningham United Methodist Church, 3389 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Palmyra, VA 22963, and Hospice House, 501 Park Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902.