Dorothy (Blanchard) Ritchie, 90, formerly of Lexington, died on October 25, 2014 in the Millbury Healthcare Center.
Mrs. Ritchie was married for 66 years to Arthur D. Ritchie, who died in January 2014. She is survived by a daughter, Carol L. Ritchie of Nashua, NH: a son, Richard A. Ritchie and his wife, Katherine of Douglas; two grandchildren, Daniel Ritchie of Auburn and Brian Ritchie and his wife, Krysten of Coral Gables, FL; one great grandchild, Callie Ritchie. She is also survived by her brother, Robert Blanchard of California, and several nephews and a niece.
Dorothy graduated from the California College of Business in 1944, and worked as a bookkeeper in Berkley, California, until she met the love of her life, Arthur Ritchie, a Navy meteorologist, who persuaded her to move back to his home town of Lexington, MA. They were married in 1947 at Park Street Church in Boston, on her birthday.
She later worked as a secretary and bookkeeper for several small businesses in the Lexington area, but taking care of her family was the job she loved most. An early member of Grace Chapel in Lexington, she was a loving Christian woman who always took time to help others that were sick or in need of assistance. In her retirement years, she drove her “elderly” friends and church members to many of their doctor’s appointments. Her passions in life were word games & puzzles, going to the beach, making elaborate vacation plans, and keeping beautiful gardens around her home, where she spent hours.
The family would like to thank the staff of the Millbury Healthcare Center and the staff of Compassionate Care Hospice for the dedicated and compassionate care they provided to Dorothy in the final months of her life.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Dorothy’s family on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 from 4-7 PM in the Britton-Wallace Funeral Home, 91 Central Street, Auburn. Funeral services for Dorothy will be private and burial will be at a later date in Westview Cemetery in Lexington. Memorial donation can be made to the Millbury Healthcare Center Alzheimer’s Unit, 312 Millbury Avenue, Millbury, MA 01527.