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On December 26, 2016, after living for almost 104 years, Dorothy (Mullin) Hatch passed away surrounded by her family. Born in Ayer, Massachusetts, on February 18, 1913. “Dodie” as she was called by family and friends, was the daughter of Charles A. and Agnes (Walsh) Mullin. She was also predeceased by her siblings, Helen and Robert Mullin and Rosemarie Pevlin.
After graduating from Lesley College with a teaching degree in 1932, Dodie worked as a second grade teacher at the East Main Street School in Ayer, Massachusetts for five years. The school system lacked funds to pay her salary because of the Depression, and she taught for one year without pay.
In 1938, Dodie married Robert “Bob” Leslie Hatch, and left teaching to become a homemaker. Dodie and Bob were married for 49 years until his death in 1988. As Dodie once said about her life with Bob, “It was a horrible wedding, but a wonderful marriage.”
Dodie is survived by her two children, Jane Leonard and Christopher Hatch. The family lived in Orange, Massachusetts and spent summers at Pine Point Beach in Scarborough, Maine, as Dodie had when she was growing up. Dodie and Bob later began spending winters in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Dodie continued living independently in Pine Point and Cocoa Beach until she was 102 when she moved to assisted living in Scarborough.
Dodie was an avid reader and a skilled Scrabble player. Born before women had the right to vote, she witnessed enormous conflict and change in the world, but she always maintained a keen and caring engagement with her family and everyone around her. She found both strength and great solace in her Catholic faith.
She is also survived by her children’s spouses, George Leonard and Nancy Hatch. A loving grandmother and great-grandmother, Dodie is survived by her grandchildren Kim (Peterson) Venkataraman, Kathy (Peterson) Morrissette, Erik Peterson and Amy Hatch, as well as their partners Ravi Venkataraman, Todd Morrissette, Kierston Donavon and Hank Tan. One of the great sorrows of Dodie’s life was the death of her grandson, Kit Hatch when he was just twelve years old. Dodie’s great grandchildren are Peyton, Lily and Greta Morrissette, Nikki and Devan Venkataraman, and Fergus Tan.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Maximilian Kolbe, Black Point Road, Scarborough on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 11:00 AM. She will be laid to rest with her husband in Groton, Massachusetts.
A constant source of love and support for her family, she will be missed by all.
The family extends their gratitude to the staff at Bellavita who made her stay so enjoyable, and to her caregivers at Seaside, Wing One for their extraordinary care in her last days, and to Compassus Hospice.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to:
Hospice Help Foundation
Compassus
23 Spring Street
Scarborough, ME 04074
Or
Memorial/Honorary Gift Fund
Friends of the Scarborough Library
48 Gorham Road
Scarborough, ME 04074