Dorothy Yates Elliott

Dorothy Yates Elliott Dorothy Yates Elliott, a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother died on Wednesday, September 1 at the Marquette Health Center in Indianapolis. She was 97. The cause of death was complications from a fall on July 28. Mrs. Elliott, known to her friends as Dotty, was a lifelong resident of Indianapolis, who in years past had been active in various local service organizations such as the Stansfield Circle, the Day Nursery Auxiliary, and Meals on Wheels, and as a volunteer at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and at Second Presbyterian Church. Dorothy Ann Yates was born in Indianapolis on July 15, 1924 to Lillian (McKee) and Kenneth E. Yates. She attended Shortridge High School, graduating in 1942. Her father, who was vice-president of the Empire Life Insurance Company, urged her to become a legal secretary, but she wanted to attend college. He relented, but would not allow her to pursue her passion to be an English major, which he considered impractical; instead, she graduated from Purdue University in 1946 with a degree in Home Economics. She loved her time at Purdue, and especially her experience in the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority where she had many friends. While there, she took as many English electives as she could fit into her schedule, and she remained a voracious reader who appreciated literature of all types. Upon graduation, she worked as a dietician at L.S. Ayres department store, and later at Methodist Hospital. She met Donald F. Elliott, Jr., an attorney with a firm then known as Ross, McCord, Ice and Miller, through friends in 1953. They wed on August 14, 1954, and were married for over 63 years until Mr. Elliott’s death in 2017 at the age of 96. She is survived by their three children, Kenneth Elliott, Richard (Anne) Elliott, and Emily (Robert) Browning. With the birth of her first child, Mrs. Elliott ended her career as a dietician to become a full-time mother. In addition to child-rearing and service activities, she was a warm and gracious hostess who organized many elegant dinner parties for friends and family. She was keenly intelligent and had a wry, sometimes self-deprecating sense of humor and an infectious laugh that disarmed friends and strangers alike. She was an excellent conversationalist because she truly enjoyed listening to and learning about others. She was a highly talented perfectionist at knitting, needlepoint and quilting, hobbies that gave her great pleasure. Another passion was travel. She made a transatlantic crossing on the SS United States for a grand tour of England and Europe in 1953, and she and Mr. Elliott made many trips to memorable destinations. She remained active in later life, and enjoyed knitting garments for her grandchildren, playing bridge, and reading countless books on her Nook reader. She recently reread "War and Peace". In addition to her three children, she is also survived by eight grandchildren, Rebecca (Tony) Williams, Lillian Elliott, Andrew (Deanna) Browning, Elliott Browning, Charles (Allison) Browning, Robert Browning, Theodore Browning and Melissa Browning, and three great-grandchildren, Quincy Browning, Shea Browning, and Wyatt Williams. A memorial service will be held at Second Presbyterian Church, 7700 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis, IN 46260 on Tuesday, September 7 at 4:00 pm, with a visitation preceding the service at 3:00. Masks are strongly encouraged in the church building. For those unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed at: https://secondchurch.org/funeral A private interment ceremony will immediately follow the service in the Memorial Garden at Second Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Meals on Wheels https://mealsonwheelsindy.org/donate/ or the Wheeler Mission https://wheelermission.org/donate-to-wheeler/ Online condolences available at: www.leppertmortuary.com