Dorothy Aronson of Holyoke, MA passed away Thursday October 20, 2022 at the Day Brooke Village Nursing Center where she was receiving long-term care.
Dorothy was born September 13, 1930 in Boston, MA to the late Alexander and Beatrice Shillman. Dorothy was a graduate of Jeremiah E. Burke High School. She worked as an Executive Secretary for the Massachusetts State College Building Authority.
She was preceded in death by her parents Alexander and Beatrice Shillman, her daughter Sharlene Aronson Vargo, her sister Lillian Miller, and her grandson David Aronson.
She leaves behind her son Joel Aronson and his wife Denise, her daughter Amy Gleason and her husband David, and her sister Roz Hyman. She also leaves behind her adoring grandchildren Audrey Dean, Timothy Gleason, Benjamin Gleason and fiancé Rachael Krasnor, Lorilyn Sallee, and Elisabeth Sallee.
Dorothy read as a volunteer for the Mass. Commission for the Blind for Books on Tape. She knitted hats, mittens, and scarves for the homeless of Boston and served as an usher for the Boston Symphony. Dorothy loved to travel with a claim to have been to 46 of the 50 states of America. She went on many elder hostel trips that included a rugged fishing boat off the coast of Maine and one she shared with a grandson to Yellowstone National Park. Dorothy was an active member of the Temple B'nai Israel serving on the Board of Directors for many years and as Vice President for one year. Dorothy loved to read and enjoyed taking Adult Education classes at UMass well into her senior years. She also enjoyed dining out with friends.
A graveside service will be held on Thursday October 27, 2022 at 11:00 am at the Agudath Israel Cemetery, 776 Baker Street, West Roxbury. A luncheon reception to follow at Tony’s Place Italian Restaurant, 188 Baker Street, West Roxbury. Donations in Dorothy's name can be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741 or Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115.