Dorothy Y. Abelson died peacefully at home on April 5 at the age of 98.

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1920, Dorothy grew up in Boston. She was always proud of her New England roots and of having been graduated from Boston Latin School.

She moved to New York City, where she worked at Macy's and met Stanley Abelson, the love of her life. They were married in June, 1950, and continued living and working in New York. After Stanley returned from the Korean War, they moved to Stamford, Connecticut to start a family. Once their children arrived, Dorothy stayed home to care for them. During those years, Dorothy also spent quite a bit of time volunteering at The Rehabilitation Center and at Family and Childrens Services, both in Stamford.

The family moved to Philadelphia in 1975. Both Dorothy and Stanley found the people there to be remarkably friendly and welcoming. Dorothy became very involved with the Bargain Shop at Pennsylvania Hospital, putting her retail expertise to very good use. She also volunteered with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the Society Hill Civic Association. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia was also dear to her, reflecting her love of the English language and good writing. Not surprisingly, she was a big fan of the New York Times and its crossword puzzles, which she completed in ink well into her 90s.

In the 1950s Dorothy and Stanley began spending time on Martha's Vineyard, where Dorothy's brother and sister-in-law, Arthur and Nancy Young, were living. After Stanley retired, they purchased a home there, where they spent all of their summers until 2014. There was nothing Dorothy and Stanley enjoyed more than sitting on their back deck with a glass of red wine, looking out at Katama Bay.

Dorothy was always very interested in current events and politics and, even though her condition at the time was weak, she did at least in part through force of will vote in the election last November at the age of 97, of which we are very proud of her.

Dorothy lost her husband Stanley in 2017 after more than 66 years of marriage. She was the beloved mother of Ned Abelson and his wife Maureen, Matt Abelson and his wife Julie, and Ann Patrizio and her husband Chris; and grandmother of seven wonderful grandchildren, each of whom she loved very much.

A private memorial gathering is being planned for May. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 219 South Sixth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, or The Philadelphia Orchestra, One South Broad Street, 14 ^th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

Funeral arrangements entrusted to The Oliver H. Bair Co.  (215) 563-1580