Dorothy Louise “Dotty”(Hodges) Valentine, 93, of Natick, passed away unexpectedly on May 2, 2012. She was the beloved wife of the late Richard J. Valentine who passed away in 2005 and with whom she shared 58 years of marriage.
Born in Jersey City, N.J., “Dotty” was the daughter of the late Ralph and Louise (Baker) Hodges. She was raised in Duellen, NJ and settled in Natick in 1953. Dotty devoted her life to caring for her family and will be lovingly remembered as “Mom” to her son Jeff Valentine and his wife Paula of Shrewsbury and daughter Jill Surace and her husband Michael of Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA; “Mina” to grandchildren Kristin Valentine of Shrewsbury and TJ Valentine and his wife Katy of Plymouth and their daughter Kylin; “Grandma” to grandchildren Stacy Surace and Steven Surace of Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA; and “Dotty” to her friends. She was the sister of Ralph Hodges, Jr., Kenneth Hodges, and Harold Hodges; and mother-in-law of the late Donna Lee (McEnroy) Valentine who passed away in 2003.
“Dotty” was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Natick for many years. She joined a bowling league in 1965 and continued to bowl until she was 91. She never joined the senior league because she did not want to bowl with old people. “Dotty” was also an avid bridge player and participated in two bridge groups. When one of the groups started losing members, they switched to pinochle. Weather permitting she would accompany her friends on daily morning walks, enjoyed visiting Foxwoods, and spending time with her granddaughter Stacy blowing bubbles. “Dotty” continued to drive until she was 91 years old and attributed her long life to never going to a doctor or taking medication. In 2009, “Dotty” received satisfaction and enjoyment by attending her grandson’s wedding at Disney World.
Graveside funeral services will be held on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 1:00 PM in the MA National Cemetery in Bourne. A memorial service will be planned at a later date.