Obituary of Dorothy S. Dean

Dorothy Spivey Dean, 75, of South Hadley, Massachusetts, passed away on June 17, 2023, at home surrounded by her loving family, her devoted husband, and a very special friend. Born on January 18, 1948, in Philadelphia, PA to James R. and Anna L. (Myers) Spivey. Dorothy was raised in Westtown, PA and has made her home in South Hadley for 39 years. She attended the Westtown Friends School in her hometown, then graduated with a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College. Dorothy participated in many advanced post graduate programs in banking, also earning CFP certification (Certified Financial Planner). Dorothy had a long and successful career in banking spanning 45 years, starting as a trainee with State Street Bank in Boston in 1969 and retiring in July 2014 as a Senior Vice President of Risk Management at Bank of America. Dorothy worked for Bank of America and its predecessors for 34 years. She was on the board of directors of the Springfield Public Forum and the Childrens Trust Fund, was active with the United Way of Pioneer Valley, the Women’s Division of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and participated in other community activities in the area. Dorothy was an amazing person, strong yet gentle, who balanced a very successful career while putting family above all else, sharing deep love and devotion with her husband, children, grandchildren, and everyone in her extended family. Dorothy continuously developed strong and caring friendships with many people from all aspects of her life. She was an accomplished cook and earned special high regard for the artwork she created with holiday cookies. She loved travelling with her husband, family, and friends, to numerous foreign countries and all over the USA. She loved Paris most of all. The streets of Paris felt like home to her, she knew every stop on le Métro de Paris where there was a fresh market, and she became a student of French language, culture, and cooking. When the travel bug bit friends and relatives, Dorothy was quick to become their personal travel agent, enthusiastically helping them with all the details of their travel planning. Dorothy will be deeply missed and warmly remembered by her adoring husband of 34 years, Alfred (Fred) Dean of South Hadley, her beloved daughter, Rebecca Glenn and husband Steven of Belchertown, her brother Robert Spivey, and his wife Marian Dalton of Brunswick, Maine, and her two stepdaughters Jennifer Dean of Putnam, CT and Jessica Dean of South Hadley. “Mimi” loved to be with her five wonderful grandchildren, Owen, Harper, Savannah, Josie, and Jogi, and delighted in helping them discover new places and experiences. She will also be dearly missed by her Aunt Alice, her cousin Bill and his wife Carole of Pennsylvania, everyone in her extended family and many loving friends. A private graveside service was held at Evergreen cemetery in South Hadley, and a Celebration of life will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in her memory to Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst, MA www.fisherhome.org, the Cancer Connection in Northampton www.cancer-connection.org, and The Prevent Cancer Foundation www.preventcancer.org