Dorothy Dole Johnson

Dorothy Dole Johnson of Bloomfield, CT passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 23, 2019, at the age of 100. She was the wife of the late Donald W. Johnson. She is survived by her son Theodore of Athens, AL, and two daughters-in-law, Melissa Monty of Elk, CA and Judith Cochrane of Athens, AL. She was predeceased by her son Richard. Dorothy was born in Proctorsville, VT, and raised on her parents' dairy farm in Peterborough, NH. She was a proud alumna of Bates College (A.B. '41), Vassar College (M.A. '43) and Columbia University (Ph.D. '49). She remained at Columbia as Assistant Professor of Anatomy in the College of Physicians and Surgeons until her retirement in 1961. She was co-editor of Bailey's Textbook of Histology, 13th and 14th Editions. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa (Bates College), Bates Key, Sigma Xi, Harvey Society of New York City, American Association of Anatomists, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She served as an Alumni Trustee of Bates College. Following retirement she devoted herself to family, gardening and volunteer work. She was a longtime member of the Universalist Church of West Hartford and was recognized with the Distinguished Service Award for her service in numerous capacities. Among her many other volunteer activities, she was president of the Widows Society; she was a Hartford Regional Advisory Board member for the Visiting Nurses Association; she was a longtime member of the Buena Vista Garden Club and served as vice president of the West Hartford Council of Garden Clubs; she was a member of the Hartford Hospital Auxiliary and the Women's Auxiliary of the Hartford County Medical Association; and last but not least, she delivered Meals on Wheels for decades. After moving to Duncaster, in Bloomfield, she remained an active gardener, served as President of the Residents' Association, and for years was very active as librarian and on the flower committee. In 2016 she received a Be the Difference Honorable Mention from LeadingAge as Duncaster's Unsung Hero. She and Donald loved to travel. Highlights included mainland China, two trips behind the Iron Curtain; the glaciers and volcanoes of Iceland, the South American jungle, Italy, the British Isles, France, and trips to many places across the U.S. and Canada. A celebration of her life will be held at Duncaster at 2:00 PM on January 25, 2020. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to either The Universalist Church of West Hartford or The Chrysalis Center, Inc., 255 Homestead Ave., Hartford, CT 06112.