Haussman, Dorothy C. (Christie) died peacefully on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 in her residence surrounded by her loving family.
A resident of Wellesley for 59 years, Dorothy Ann was born on December 17, 1931 in Watertown, MA, to parents George B. and Ella L. Christie. Her father was the founder of Whitehouse Ice Cream that later sold to Bordens Ice Cream in 1939. Her uncle, Andrew Christie, was the founder of Christie Farms, headquartered in Kingston, NH, which later became a breeder of blue-ribbon poultry. The youngest of three children, Dorothy was a diligent student in the Watertown public schools, attended Michigan State University, where she met her beloved husband, Theodore F. Haussman, and graduated from Simmons College with a B.A. Married in 1954, Dorothy was a devoted wife and mother. Dorothy and Ted lived in a variety of places, including Pittsburgh, PA, before moving to Wellesley in 1961. Together, Dorothy and Ted spent thirty-two years raising their family in the Wellesley schools, traveling adventurously to Europe, the Midwest, Florida and throughout New England, including the Cape. Both were active members of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Wellesley. Before and after Ted’s death, Dorothy was medical secretary to Wellesley ophthalmologists John R. Gehring, Eeva-Liisa Martola, and Byron S. Lingeman; volunteer for St. Andrew’s annual Bargain Haul (serving once as chairwoman) and Mistletoe Mart; and Altar Guild. Dorothy and Ted, for years, served as Wellesley Town Meeting members and active members in the local and state Republican Party. Dorothy was an inveterate collector of antiques and avid bargain hunter, attending countless flea markets, poking in the Wellesley and Weston Exchanges and Wellesley Historical Society, Wellesley Dump “take and leave” and mapping her routes to Saturday garage sales. In her golden years, Dorothy enjoyed participation in the Wellesley Garden Club; traveled on a St. Andrew’s expedition to the Holy Land with her sister, Mary Chicos; and doted on her grandchildren. She was a quintessential New Englander, breathing her Bostonian heritage.
Dorothy is survived by her children: Melissa Ann and her spouse the Rev. Linda Privitera of Ottawa, Canada; and Theodore F., Jr. of Berwyn, PA and his two teenage sons, Charles B. and James R. Haussman of Bryn Mawr, PA. She was predeceased by her brother, George Christie (2017) and her sister, Mary Chicos (2019).
A public Funeral Service will be conducted at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 79 Denton Rd, Wellesley on December 20 at 11 a.m. followed by a graveside service at Woodlawn Cemetery in Wellesley and reception at St. Andrew’s. Contributions can be made to the Dorothy C. Haussman Fund, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.