Birth date: Aug 24, 1942 Death date: Jun 19, 2019
Dorothy “Dottie” Simms, age 76, of Fort Gratiot and previously from St. Clair, passed away on June 19, 2019 after a long illness. She was born August 24, 1942 in St. Clair to the late Dean and Anna Boitnott. She enjoyed being an Read Obituary
Dear Tawny and Jon and your families, it really doesn't seem ages ago that Dorothy and I and all the cousins were just little kids, part of a family of pretty close cousins. Close in ages, and close in that we were always getting together in St. Clair. Grandpa and Grandma Wright had that old Victorian house on 3rd Street - no plumbing upstairs; the kids had to use chamber pots - and Grandpa's favorite chair that only he could sit in, with an anitmacassar on the headrest. The living room had coconut husks, conch shells, and a brass shell that once held live ammunition; out back there was Grandma's pedal sewing machine, Grandpas' endless piles of National Geographic magazines, and in the rear yard a chicken coop, a tree with a swing, blackberry vines, and way in the back the outbuilding where Grandpa and, for awhile Uncle Dean worked, connected to a short cinder drive and a big pule of tiny seashells. For Sunday dinners Grandma and her kids (including my mom and Aunt Anna) would wait for Grandpa to catch a chiken and cut off it's head, then would sit at the dining room table and pluck all the feathers. I mention all this because it was a magical childhood and Dorothy was a part of it. As an older cousin (6 years older than me, 7 years older than my sister Mart) she sometimes had to baby-sit for us, and loved the bobby-soxer craze around 1954-1955, wore the ankle socks and saddle shoes, watched a 'Bandstand-like" teen dance show on early TV, and taught us kids how teenagers danced. She loved kids and liked to teach us new things. I remember her during our childhoods as being soft spoken, kind, and enjoying the simplest of things. She often had a little twinkle in her eye, as if she saw humor in things. Like Aunt Anna, she was a good, moral, and decent person through and through. I never heard her say or do a bad thing. Losing Dorothy is a great sorrow. I wish you and your families the best going forward.
David Morens, son of Martha Wright Morens, Aunt Anna's oldest sister....
Dear Tawny and John, I’m so sorry for the loss of your Mother. I enjoyed working for so many years with her at River District Hospital. But also shared friendships through out the years. May you find comfort in knowing she is at peace now. God Bless you and yours. Always sending prayers of comfort, Donna Chamberlin Simonian.
