Dorothy M Melvin's Obituary
Dorothy (Dot) Melvin, 60, passed away on May 15th, 2026 after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer. Despite her diagnosis, she lived life to the fullest every day, until the end of her life. Dot lived her whole life in the Merrimack Valley. She grew up on Prospect Hill in Lawrence (MA), attended the Storrow and Rollins School and graduated from Lawrence High School in 1983. She was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts. Dot and her family lived in Bradford (MA) for many years.
Dorothy worked for more than 35 years at St Anne’s Home and School in Methuen. She was a leader in their growth and expansion of services. Her experience with the children of St. Anne’s was invaluable. She touched the lives of both staff and residents. Care was at the core of her being, and with that she worked tirelessly to ensure the comfort and joy of the children whom she felt blessed to be able to work with for decades.
Dot’s impact during her time here is beyond measure. When she walked into any space, the dynamic changed. Dorothy lit up every room she entered with her humor and good-nature. She was easy to talk to, easy to know, and had an enormous circle of friends and loved ones whose lives will be ever changed without her. Immensely kind and selfless, Dot was a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. Even in the darkest of moments, Dorothy brought a certain light and laughter to everything she did. Her legacy is deeply positive, embodied in her amazing children. She loved animals, whether her pets or the critters she fed in her yard. Dorothy loved spending time outdoors. During the summertime, you would find her on her porch, sitting by the fire with her dog May, reading a book. She was a pillar of her community and never took that role for granted, as evidenced by her large circle of friends and commitment to nurturing those relationships in her life. Her children were her light and her life. Everything she did, she did for them. Dot loved spending time at her camp at Province Lake, despite the lack of running water and abundance of indoor “interlopers”. She thoroughly enjoyed gatherings with her extended family, a game of 45s and holiday traditions, like cooking chop suey and throwing neighborhood Halloween parties.
Dot is survived by her children Madeline Melvin and David Melvin, her brothers Thomas Milius and his wife Jeannine Gaudreau, Richard Milius and his wife Amy Dingley, her beloved nieces and nephews and her dear friend Christine Albert. She was predeceased by her parents, Leo and Teresa (Liehr) Milius, her sisters Barbara Karpowicz and Patricia Milius Moran and her husband Timothy Melvin.
Family and friends are invited to gather at the John Breen Memorial Funeral Home, 122 Amesbury Street, Lawrence MA on Monday, May 25 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Her funeral mass will be celebrated at Sacred Hearts Church, 165 South Main Street, Bradford, MA on Tuesday, May 26 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be at the Lithuanian National Cemetery, 143 North Lowell Street (Rt. 113), Methuen MA.
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