Our beloved Dorothy Kennedy Yacovone, 81, returned to her true spirit essence on April 21, 2015 following a stay at Langdale Hospice House with her loving husband, Arthur Yacovone, at her side as he has been since the day they first met. Born to this lifetime on July 6th, 1934 in Holyoke, Massachusetts, she is the cherished daughter of the late John and Sophie (Bick) Kennedy.
A graduate of Chicopee High School, it was there on the stairwell Dorothy met the love of her life and her husband of sixty years. Following her graduation from Holyoke Business School she worked at Sample-Durick as secretary to the President. As newlyweds, Arthur and Dorothy moved to East Longmeadow where they constructed their first home and raised their family. During their time there, Dorothy was employed as Secretary to the Principal of Meadow Brook Elementary School. She later worked for many years at both Forrest and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Companies. She vivaciously dedicated much of her time to the Women’s Club of St. Michael’s Catholic Church with the same effervescence she’d earlier taught Bible Study to elementary children at St. Mary’s Church in Willimansett.
In 1979 Dorothy and Arthur moved to Boca Raton, Florida in pursuit of their love for the sea. Dorothy began a career with Barnett/Florida Coast Bank which, over time, evolved into Pointe Bank where she served as a Corporate Officer. There she spent many hours with family at the beach and often fashioned art from objects she found there. Once retired, the two moved to Cherry Lake/Pinetta, Florida, where she was able to delight in deer grazing on the lawn while painting and quilting at leisure.
Dorothy is survived by her loving husband Arthur of Madison, Florida; her daughter Lori and her husband Rainer of Craig, CO, daughter Lisa Stewart of Juno Beach, Florida and daughter Linda Yacovone of Boca Raton, Florida as well as her seven grandchildren Erin, Sean, Mara, Kaitlan, Holden, Conor, Graeme and Olivia; three great-grandchildren Henry, Indy and Jordan; brothers and sisters-in-law Philip, Joan, Stephen and Maureen and dear nieces and nephews. All love her dearly and are grateful for her love in return.
The model of grace, dignity and strength, Dorothy is reminisced as a beautiful, creative, energetic, joyful, scholarly soul who loved her family and friends so. Everything she touched was left the better for it. She is there in the moon and the stars, in a cardinal as it flutters by, in everything beautiful that surrounds us.
A heartfelt thanks to South Georgia Medical Center and Langdale Hospice House for the excellent medical care and comfort our dear Dorothy received there. We’d also like to especially thank the staff of Madison Health and Rehabilitative Center for their support and thoughtfulness during the past two years of Dorothy’s life.
The family will gather at the St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church Chapel in Boca Raton, Florida on Monday, May 4th at 9:30 to celebrate Dorothy’s life. You are most welcome to attend this Mass. Memorial donations may be sent to the Audubon Society at http://www.audubon.org or the Marine Conservation Biology Institute at http://www.mcbi.org.