Dorothy L. Browne

Dorothy Louise Browne – Dottie or GrandMa Dot - passed on peacefully Tuesday, September 1st, 2020, at the age of 100, surrounded by friends, family (some virtually) and the caring staff at Canterbury Hall in Canterbury, NH.

Dottie was born in Bedford, PA, on March 30, 1920, the daughter of Altha (Foreman) Shearer and Orville Shearer. She was predeceased, by her beloved husband, Harry Franklin Browne, sisters, Velma Burkett and Ruth Lehman of Bedford and a brother Robert Shearer of Youngstown, Ohio.

She was a dear friend of Helen Cuppett, and a fellow graduate of Bedford High School during which time she worked for the Bedford Library – carrying out a love affair with books and learning that would be a constant for her entire life. Following high school, she worked for Bell Telephone in Bedford and was by herself on Sunday, December 7th,1941, when the "switchboard lit up like a Christmas tree and I knew something awful had happened," learning a short time later of the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1946, Dottie married Harry Franklin Browne, of nearby Mann's Choice, whom she met while working at the Naval Supply Depot in Mechanicsburg, PA, after his return from overseas while serving in WWII. They lived in the "house on the hill" in Shepherdstown looking at the sunsets over the Cumberland Valley for fifty years, where she was known by kids from miles around for baking the "best cookies ever." During those married years she was a faithful member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Mechanicsburg, volunteering her time and culinary masterpieces for the Markettes service work. She also volunteered at the Upper Allen Elementary School next door, where her favorite memory was "seeing all the children get off the busses on the first day of school with their shiny new shoes." In addition, she did volunteer work at the Mechanicsburg Public Library. Once her children reached High School, she got a full-time job at what else, The Book of the Month Club. When husband Harry passed away in 1994, she continued to volunteer and to enjoy lunches and dinners at Hoss's restaurant with her best friend Muriel Davis, always taking a "few bites home to the pets." Her last six years were spent in New Hampshire where she loved being close to the antics of her family and their pets, and the beauty of the woods, water and skies around her.

She is survived by her sons Philip Browne of Loudon, NH, and Marshall and wife Sharon Browne of Cameron Park, CA, grandchildren Gabriel (Sedona, AZ), Zachary (Olympia, WA), Erik, Morgan and husband Mike (Concord, NH), Matt (New York, NY), Sean (Sacramento, CA), and by two great granddaughters; Seraphina in WA, and Addy Rose in NH. She was also loved and will be missed by dear friends-in-law Pamela Davis, Patty Jared, and Lynn Richards, her niece Shirley Imler and family of Bedford, PA, cousin Norma Bingham, and grand-niece Jen Jekot, her husband John and their daughters- Kelly, Katie, Julie and Jill. Norma and the Jekots lived near Dottie in Mechanicsburg and visited her frequently, providing comfort and assistance following Harry's death. Dottie is also survived by her sister-in-law, Nancy Brown, widow of Harry's brother, Colonel Chester Brown, (Fort Worth, TX), and Nancy's daughter Terrie. Nancy is the source of so many fun stories from Dottie's early married years.

There will be a "to be announced" inurnment memorial service at a later date this fall or next spring at the Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Mechanicsburg, PA, where she will join her spirit with Harry, welcoming too, the many spirits of the animals that they have loved. Donations in Dottie's memory can be made to a dog rescue organization that provided some of the family dogs she loved in her later years – Peace and Paws, 163 Gould Hill Road, Hillsboro, NH 03224 or at peaceandpaws.org, or to St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 117 West Keller St., Mechanicsburg, Pa 17055.