Dorothy Lee Grosset

Dorothy Lee Grosset (maiden Willis), affectionately known as Dot, passed away peacefully on March 20, 2026. Born in Lexington, Virginia, she carried a life-long devotion to family, faith, and education that touched everyone who knew her.

Dot graduated from Newnan High School in Newnan, Georgia, and earned her bachelor's degree in history from Erskine College in South Carolina. After college she moved to New York City and began her early career at The United Nations, where her curiosity about the world and commitment to service first found public expression.

In 1961, a blind date set up by friends forever changed her life. She met Don Grosset, and in a whirlwind courtship, they were engaged just two weeks later. The couple were married in Flat Rock, North Carolina, in September 1961. They honeymooned in Scotland, traveling in true style aboard The Queen Mary. Upon their return, they made a warm and welcoming home in Greenwich, Connecticut.

In Greenwich, Dot was a devoted wife, mother, and homemaker. It was there that she and Don began raising their two sons, Alex and Douglas. She regularly would take her boys to Bruce Park, Island Beach and Point Beach. She made every day an adventure. A highlight of her days was sharing carpool duty to Greenwich Country Day School with her close friend, Susan Pratt, who was like a sister to her. Sundays were family days with church service at First Presbyterian Church, brunch at Indian Harbor Yacht Club and then gathering at ‘Weed Hall” where she was surrounded by her nieces, whom she loved like her own daughters.

In 1976, the Grossets moved to Yarmouth, Maine, where they lived for over forty years. At their "house on the hill" her home was a place of laughter, and love. Constantly at her feet, you’d find her beloved corgi, Caddie. And much to her delight, she was continuously surrounded by a never-ending stream of her sons' friends. To her, they were just more sons and a source of joy and amusement. She loved her daily morning walk on Main St. to Handy Andy’s with her friend and neighbor, Zara Briggs.

A true daughter of the south, she and Don traveled to North Carolina every year to wait out "mud" season in Maine and reconnect with her southern roots. It was a pilgrimage you could set your clocks by. She and Don would spend their days visiting family, hiking in Pisgah National Park, enjoying their favorite BBQ joint and just soaking up southern hospitality.

Once her sons were old enough, Dot continued her lifelong work in Christian education, serving as Director of Education at First Parish Church in Yarmouth and later in Brunswick and South Portland. Her gentle leadership, creative programs, and warm presence enriched countless worshippers and families over the decades. With the boys out of the house, she was able to travel with friends and family across the U.S and the world. Some of her favorite trips were to Scotland, Austria China, St. Maarten’s, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.

She was predeceased by her parents, Reverend Walter and Carey Willis, and her brother James. She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Don; her sons Alex and Douglas; daughters-in-law Jeanie and Karen; and her cherished grandchildren Carter and Gigi.

Friends and family are invited to her Memorial Service at First Parish Church in Yarmouth on April 11, 2026, at 10am with a reception to follow. She will be laid to rest at Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich, CT . In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to First Parish Church of Yarmouth.

Please visit www.lindquistfuneralhome.com to leave condolences for the Grosset family and share a memory of Dot.