SCARBOROUGH- Dorothy (Dotty) Bennett, aged 81, passed away peacefully in Scarborough on Friday, May 12, 2023.
Dotty was born in Cheswick, Pennsylvania to Raymond & Florence Buchanan. She grew up in Wexford, PA and attended Mars High School in Mars, PA and West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV.
In 1965 she married John H. Bennett, and in March of 1972 they moved to Scarborough, Maine with their two young children, Doug and Judy. She built a life here in Maine and called Scarborough home for the next 51 years.
Her family was very important to her. The fourth of five children, she and her siblings have been having annual family reunions since the 1960’s - packing up the station wagons and camping gear in the 70’s & 80’s, and heading to campgrounds up and down the East Coast, then eventually shifting to vacationing in places with actual beds to sleep in and kitchens to gather in. Gathering with her family every year was extremely important to her, and she would spend months looking forward to ‘family reunion’.
She was always very active, and known for walking A LOT, was a regular at her local pool, a lover of card games, knitting, reading, biking, traveling, and spending time by the water and with people she cared about. There are countless funny stories shared between her family members about her cooking, and even more laughs over the numerous QVC products she would find and decide we all needed to have for Christmas. Our photo albums, phones, and computers are filled with photos of her laughing with us, at us, for us. We are comforted by these photos as reminders of who she was and how much she cared, laughed, and loved.
She spent the last 20 years very involved in her two grandchildren’s lives. Becoming a grandparent is a chance to love and spoil two humans in a way one doesn’t get to as a parent. She lived an active life until this last year, and luckily her grandchildren were able to benefit from that energy & zest for life. To her family she was known as Jamma. The name given by an energetic toddler grandchild who couldn’t say grandma, and it stuck. For her family, that is who she will always be: Jamma.
While her family was clearly very important to her, so were her many friendships. Groups of people she would gather with to play cards, read, knit, walk, explore, bike, go line dancing, share a meal, watch a sunset at Ferry Beach, or see the world. She was also a tour guide for several years in Portland for the cruise ship industry, a receptionist for a few local dentists, an usher at Merrill Auditorium and Portland Stage Company, as well as a volunteer at multiple events, including the Tri For A Cure. She donated generously on a regular basis to the Maine Cancer Foundation, Dempsey Center, Maine Public Broadcasting, and the Good Shepherd Food Bank, to name a few.
Dotty is pre-deceased by her parents, Raymond & Florence Buchanan, her youngest brother Ken Buchanan, her brother-in-law Bob Smith, her sister-in-law Marlene Buchanan.
She is survived by her children, Doug Bennett of Scarborough and Judy Beedle of South Portland, as well as their spouses, Lisa Bennett and Scott Beedle, and two grandchildren, Max Bennett and Maria Bennett. She is also survived by her siblings: Roger Buchanan, Alice Smith, and Dave Buchanan, and sisters-in-law Rosemary Buchanan, Dot Buchanan, and Claudia Buchanan, along with several nieces and nephews: Rebecca, Ron, Kim, Valerie, Lori, Dennis, Scott, Brian, Michael, Chris, and Jon, as well as their spouses and children.
Though she did not pass from Cancer, the lives of her loved ones were deeply impacted by Cancer and both of her children have worked to fundraise for the Maine Cancer Foundation in the years since their father’s passing. She was very proud of Doug’s Red Storm Strikes Out Cancer event and Judy’s repeated participation in the Tri For A Cure. Both of her children are also cancer survivors. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The Maine Cancer Foundation in Dotty’s name: Maine Cancer Foundation, 170 US Route 1, Suite 250, Falmouth, ME 04105 (tax id#: 01-0351077), or through their website: https://mainecancer.org/donate-now
** A celebration of all things Jamma will be held on Sunday, June 11. A memorial gathering will take place at 2 pm in the Parish Hall at The First Congregational Church of Scarborough, 167 Black Point Road, Scarborough, Maine, followed by a life celebration at O’Reilly’s Cure, 264 Route 1 in Scarborough from 3:30-6pm. **
All who knew Dotty or her loved ones are welcome to attend any or all of the events that day. Please feel free to wear your bright colors, fun visors, huge sunglasses, hand knit scarves, or whatever you wish to honor a life well lived and loved.
The family would also like to extend deep gratitude to the staff at The Enclave in Scarborough. Though her time there was very brief, their level of care for her made a huge difference in her final weeks.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, Buxton, www.mainefuneral.com