Dorothy B. Ingersoll, 93, of Concord, N.H., died April 19, 2016. She was born June 19, 1922 in Ann Arbor, Mich., the only child of Frederick F. Blicke, a professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Michigan, College of Pharmacy, and his wife, Hazel Powles Blicke. She is survived by her husband John, a native of Duluth, Minn., who served in China from 1943 to 1945 as a member of the Air Force (Flying Tigers) during World War II, and who retired from the General Electric Company in the early 1980s. A University of Michigan graduate, Dorothy was a wonderful wife and mother, a dependable and loyal friend to many, a passionate reader, a tireless correspondent, and, of course, a cat enthusiast.
During World War II she worked in Washington, D.C., in support of the war effort, and following the war, in the fall of 1945, she met her future husband John upon his return to the University of Michigan. They were married on Sept. 6, 1946, and eventually moved to Schenectady, N.Y., where John began his career with General Electric on the accounting side of the business. In the mid 1970s, after stints in Wisconsin, New York, and Massachusetts, Dorothy and John settled in Wilton, Conn., where they spent 40 active and happy years. In retirement John served on numerous local boards, while Dorothy poured her time and energy into the local animal shelter.
She had a sharp wit, and she spent many hours in front of her vintage (and extremely heavy) Underwood typewriter, sharing funny stories and keeping up with family, relatives, and friends. She loved to remember her parents and their relatives in Bucyrus, Ohio, where her father was born, and her mother’s family farm in Fenelon Falls, Ontario, Canada. Her favorite places included the local library and bookstore, and, in Wilton, the Village Market and animal shelter. But perhaps at the top of her list was The Pines Lodge and Camps, on Lake Sysladobsis, near Grand Lake Stream, in Maine. She discovered The Pines in the early 1960s — it was then, and still is now, off the beaten path on a quiet lake, and she enjoyed summer family trips there well into her 80s.
Dorothy, John, and Casey Jones, their cat and loyal companion, moved to Granite Ledges in Concord in 2014, where Dorothy forged fast and meaningful friendships with staff and residents alike and participated fully in numerous daily activities. She enjoyed outings around Concord and was always ready for a visit to Gibson’s Bookstore, where she happily browsed the stacks and usually left with at least one new addition to her book collection. Dorothy thrived at Granite Ledges, and was determined to get the most out of life on a daily basis, even as time slowly took its toll. Still, in the end, family and friends were not prepared for her sudden departure, and she is deeply missed. Fortunately, her husband John is able to take some solace in wonderful memories of their 70 years of marriage, and his family is very grateful for the continuing support John receives from his caregivers and friends.
In addition to her husband, Dorothy is survived by her four children, their spouses, and seven grandchildren: her son Thomas of Daytona Beach, Fla., with whom she shared a passion for birding; her daughter Nancy Fiddler of Crowley Lake, Calif. (Dorothy was especially proud of her daughter’s accomplishments as a Nordic ski racer, including her membership on the U.S. Nordic Team and on the 1988 and 1992 U.S. Nordic Winter Olympic Teams), Nancy’s husband Claude, and their daughter; her son Douglas, an attorney who lives with his wife, Rebecca Black, in Concord, and their four children; and her son Bruce of Middlebury, Vt., (the Director of Keewaydin Temagami Camp, Lake Temagami, Ontario, Canada — the location of several canoe trips Dorothy’s parents took in the early 1900s), his wife Sarah, and their two daughters.
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