Obituary for Dorothy Jean Perry (Lee)
Dorothy Jean Perry September 27, 1927 to August 4, 2023
Dorothy Lee was born and brought up in Newmarket, Ontario where she had an idyllic childhood with her parents Jim and Priscilla and her sisters Rose and Winnie. After marrying, she lived in Toronto, Montreal and Pefferlaw, and travelled the world, but returned to spend her last 22 years within sight of her family home.
18 year old Dorothy met Torontonian Cliff Perry, just back from his WWII service, at a Muskoka resort. Cliff spotted Dorothy and said “That one’s mine.” And so she became, after 2 years of wooing both her and her very dubious father. They started their life together and their family in Toronto – Heather was born in 1949, Judy in 1952, Bob in 1955 and Jim in 1957. In 1964, Cliff had the opportunity to move to Montreal for a job and Dorothy supported the move all the way. Those years in Montreal included the magical Expo 67 and many parties and new friends. Dorothy became a great cook and a great hostess.
But Dorothy and Cliff were soon ready for another adventure and bought a property on the river in Pefferlaw. They went to night school to learn how to build a house, and with many friends and family and a lot of weekends of hard work, they moved into their piece of paradise in 1978.
Dorothy always worked, first as a secretary at Pickering College before her marriage, and then fitting jobs into her family life, finally commuting from Pefferlaw to the foot of Yonge Street for several years. She was very proud of her last job – as administrator of the Georgina Resource Centre in Keswick, where she made a real difference to people’s lives. It was during this time that she helped found the Sandgate Women’s Shelter in Sutton and Hospice Georgina. Dorothy always said that if she’d had the educational opportunities of today’s women, she would have loved being a social worker.
Dorothy will leave a hole in the hearts of her surviving children – Judy (Chris) , Bob and Jim (Lauren), her grandchildren Alexandra (Kelly), Dan and Victoria, and the great delight of her old age - her great-granddaughter Zuri. She will also be greatly missed by her Perry and Lee nieces and nephews, who delighted her, and her friends and neighbours at her condo.
Dorothy lost Cliff in 2014 and continued to live independently until July of this year. After a brief illness, she passed away at Margaret Bahen Hospice in Newmarket. Dorothy was a great believer in the right to die (M.A.I.D.) but unfortunately was denied this for herself.
If you would like to make a donation in Dorothy’s honour, please consider the Margaret Bahen Hospice in Newmarket.
Dorothy Lee was born and brought up in Newmarket, Ontario where she had an idyllic childhood with her parents Jim and Priscilla and her sisters Rose and Winnie. After marrying, she lived in Toronto, Montreal and Pefferlaw, and travelled the world, but returned to spend her last 22 years within sight of her family home.
18 year old Dorothy met Torontonian Cliff Perry, just back from his WWII service, at a Muskoka resort. Cliff spotted Dorothy and said “That one’s mine.” And so she became, after 2 years of wooing both her and her very dubious father. They started their life together and their family in Toronto – Heather was born in 1949, Judy in 1952, Bob in 1955 and Jim in 1957. In 1964, Cliff had the opportunity to move to Montreal for a job and Dorothy supported the move all the way. Those years in Montreal included the magical Expo 67 and many parties and new friends. Dorothy became a great cook and a great hostess.
But Dorothy and Cliff were soon ready for another adventure and bought a property on the river in Pefferlaw. They went to night school to learn how to build a house, and with many friends and family and a lot of weekends of hard work, they moved into their piece of paradise in 1978.
Dorothy always worked, first as a secretary at Pickering College before her marriage, and then fitting jobs into her family life, finally commuting from Pefferlaw to the foot of Yonge Street for several years. She was very proud of her last job – as administrator of the Georgina Resource Centre in Keswick, where she made a real difference to people’s lives. It was during this time that she helped found the Sandgate Women’s Shelter in Sutton and Hospice Georgina. Dorothy always said that if she’d had the educational opportunities of today’s women, she would have loved being a social worker.
Dorothy will leave a hole in the hearts of her surviving children – Judy (Chris) , Bob and Jim (Lauren), her grandchildren Alexandra (Kelly), Dan and Victoria, and the great delight of her old age - her great-granddaughter Zuri. She will also be greatly missed by her Perry and Lee nieces and nephews, who delighted her, and her friends and neighbours at her condo.
Dorothy lost Cliff in 2014 and continued to live independently until July of this year. After a brief illness, she passed away at Margaret Bahen Hospice in Newmarket. Dorothy was a great believer in the right to die (M.A.I.D.) but unfortunately was denied this for herself.
If you would like to make a donation in Dorothy’s honour, please consider the Margaret Bahen Hospice in Newmarket.