Dorothy was born on August 22, 1924 in Northampton, MA, the oldest of three children, to Emmanuel and Bertha Samms. She grew up in Florence, MA and graduated from Northampton High School in 1942. The following winter she met the love of her life while attending a dance. Jim Shepherd was an Army Air Corps Master Sergeant who had been transferred to Amherst College for officer training. They were married in December 1943 and only had a few months together before Jim was sent back to England.
They were reunited at the end of World War II and lived for a short time in Washington State. The couple and their young children returned to Northampton in 1953 and lived in the area through most of their 67 years of marriage.
Dorothy worked in downtown Northampton for much of her career, first for the Northampton Credit Bureau and then for many years as a dental assistant for Dr. Abel Ross. She was a fixture on Main Street and seemed to know everyone who worked there.
She and Jim loved Northampton and they had a wide circle of friends and relatives and were both active in St. John’s Episcopal Church. They enjoyed golf, boating, and exploring Western Massachusetts. They were also avid downhill skiers and skied together regularly into their 80’s.
Dorothy was pre-deceased by her husband Jim, sister Virginia Duda and brother Donald Samms. She is survived by daughter Wendy Shepherd and her husband Herb Nickles of Harwich Port, MA, and son Jim Shepherd and his wife Anne Besse-Shepherd of Vineyard Haven, MA. She was devoted to her five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and her extended family.
A memorial service will be held at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Chatham at the convenience of the family.
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