HANOVER, NH — Dorothy Dean Aspinwall passed away in her sleep on November 11, 2020, with her husband Duncan at her side.

Dorothy was born in Springfield, MA on August 18, 1934, to Harry Bender Dean and Charlotte (Bridgman) Dean. She spent her early years in Longmeadow, MA, before moving to the Boston area with her family in 1945. She graduated from Needham High School in 1952, and attended Cedar Crest College in Pennsylvania, where she graduated with a degree in psychology.

During her college years she met Duncan Payne Aspinwall, who was attending Lehigh University. They married in 1956, shortly after both graduated from college. Duncan entered the U.S. Army, and together they moved to Heidelberg, West Germany, where Duncan was posted from 1957 to 1959.

In 1962, the couple settled in Westwood, MA, where they raised their sons Mark, Brian, and Dwight. The family spent happy and adventurous weekends and vacations at their summer camp on Long Pond in Parsonsfield, ME, where Dorothy became adept at cooking blackberry pies over a wood fire.

Dorothy was active in local organizations, helping found an environmental education program at the Hale Reservation in Westwood, which served sixth graders from Boston and the suburbs. She worked in development at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and earned a Graduate Certificate in Landscape Design from the Radcliffe Seminars program.

In 1987, Dorothy and Duncan retired to Falmouth, MA, where Dorothy again immersed herself in community activities. She designed the memorial garden of the Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole, and also designed the campus layout of the Woods Hole Historical Museum. In 2014, she and Duncan moved to Hanover, NH.

Dorothy loved the outdoors and instilled in her sons an appreciation for nature. She was an avid gardener, imagining and creating flower and vegetable beds and restful green spaces. She was a beekeeper, birder, hiker, and skier. Dorothy studied piano as a child and returned to it as an adult, accompanying her sons on their instruments. Her love of music lives on in them, for whom it is a source of great joy.

Dorothy spent her final hours hearing stories from her sons, who were gathered at her bedside with Duncan. She had a wonderful life. She was very fortunate, and she made those around her feel fortunate too. She will be remembered for her grace and charm and warmth, and the adoration she had for her grandchildren.

Dorothy was predeceased by her parents and her brother Harold “Hookie” Dean. She is survived by her husband Duncan, to whom she was married for 64 years; son Mark Aspinwall and his wife Leticia Neria of Mexico City; son Brian Aspinwall and his partner Lisa of Croton-on-Hudson, NY; son Dwight Aspinwall and his wife Gayle Aspinwall; and eight grandchildren: Harry, Bonnie, Diego, Will, Mitch, Henry, Pia, and Lila.

The family wishes to thank Dorothy’s loving friends and caregivers at Wheelock Terrace and Bayada. Her ashes will be interred at the Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole, MA. There is no service planned at present. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.