Dorothy Beaudoin

Dot passed away Nov. 23rd in her home surrounded by family, at 93 yrs old, and 71 years of marriage. She was a vibrant and strong woman, who was dedicated to her family. Even in her final days she was the ever-vigilant hostess, and her main concern was making sure everyone knew what was available to eat. All who knew her would agree, she was in every way a colorful person. From her bright yellow house to her stylish outfits, she surrounded herself with bright colors that matched her equally bright personality. Her laugh was filled with so much joy, you couldn’t help but smile when you heard it. In personality and in her life, there was nothing dull about Dorothy Beaudoin. Dorothy Jones was born on April 21st, 1928, in New Briton, CT, the daughter of Arthur T Jones and Ruth Hartwell. Growing up she loved to ride horses, take her friends on long bike rides, play tennis, and every now and then cause some mischief. That mischief was often sparked by her best friend and partner in crime, Mike her Great Dane. Her father owned The Art Jones Company, a highly regarded men’s clothing store in the city. Whenever Dot arrived with Mike she would say “Go find Pop!” and the dog would go bounding through the store much to the surprise of its occupants. Dot shared everything with Mike, and he would be the center of her life until the day she was dragged to a dance class by a friend at age 14. Wearing a beautiful red dress, she caught the attention of a young boy who had been convinced to accompany his reluctant friend to the class. Each class following, she wore that red dress to ensure the boy would recognize her. Her plan and that beautiful dress worked, and those classes sparked a relationship that would last the next 80 years. Al Beaudoin and Dorothy Jones were married in 1950 in a small chapel at the University of Connecticut. For their honeymoon they took a road trip across the USA. Thanks to Dot’s phenomenal bookkeeping skills, they came back one penny under budget. Throughout their marriage they traveled all over the world, visiting every continent except Antarctica. That love of adventure was one of the many things they passed onto their children and grandchildren. While Al was working through his PhD, Dot worked as a receptionist at University Hospital to keep money coming in. Later on, she worked at Liberty Tennis Club (now Liberty Sports Complex) as a bookkeeper and in membership sales. They raised four children, Sandy, Arthur, Bruce, and Craig while living in Iowa, New York, Florida, and Michigan (including a sabbatical year in Sweden). Later they raised two granddaughters (of their eight grandchildren). Besides her family and dogs, Dot had two other loves: tennis and dessert. She actively played tennis until she was in her mid 80s. Al and Dot traveled to Wimbledon and many Davis Cup and US Open matches. If there was a tournament going on that they attend, Dot would have it on tv and every other aspect of daily life was on hold. When tennis wasn’t on however, she was always trying new recipes and kept her family well fed with home cooked meals. Boxed foods were never allowed in the house. Showing her love through baking, she would make decadent desserts for her bridge groups and shaped animal cakes for her grandchildren’s birthdays. Until the end, she thrived on chocolate, sugar, and butter. Most importantly, she taught all her children and grandchildren that there is always room for dessert, and that if you didn’t like the meal she cooked now, you would learn to like it later. She was preceded in death by her daughter Sandra B. McMullen. She is survived buy her husband, her three sons, eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren. It’s hard to summarize all the stories and memories that made Dot who she was. She was a loving and vibrant force to be reckoned with. Perhaps from all the chocolate, she was always full of joy even in the toughest of times. Life will be less colorful without her. Let us toast a whiskey sour in her honor and strive to make the world a brighter place just as she did. (Lovingly prepared by Melissa and Heather). Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.muehligannarbor.com for the BEAUDOIN family.