Dorothy Dietrich Gardner

Born Dorothy Dietrich on March 25, 1924 on a small farm in Newfane, New York, Dorothy was sister to Mary Alice and Ernest Dietrich. Their loving parents were Henry Dietrich and Alice (Stout) Dietrich. Her Dad, Henry was an entomologist (insect specialist). The family moved to Mississippi for his work while the children were quite young, and then back to Yonkers NY when the depression hit. Her father Henry became the curator of the Cornell insect collection until his retirement and the family lived for many years in Ithaca, New York.

DD earned a BA degree at Cornell and then a Master in Science degree (with a thesis on designing ski clothing) in 1949. In the winter of 1947-48 she took a job as assistant cook in the AMC Pinkham Notch hut. John Gardner also came to Pinkham Notch on a ski trip and because he knew "Tex" the cook he was asked into the kitchen to taste some chocolate cake. DD was then introduced to him as the baker of the delicious chocolate cake he was eating and he was evidently highly impressed by both. He then returned for a few more ski trips to get to know her better. After DD returned to Ithaca in the spring, JB traveled back and forth to Ithaca to see her. Eventually she took a teaching job at UCONN (she was a qualified teacher of "Home Economics") and this shortened his lengthy commute. They began to see a lot of each other on AMC trips: canoeing, rock climbing, hiking and other outdoor adventures.

They were married in 1950 in Ithaca New York, and after an adventurous honeymoon out west, they settled in Seymour Connecticut and eventually bought land and built a home in nearby Bethany Connecticut, where they raised their children. Hartley John Gardner was born in 1951 and Alice Gale Gardner came 18 months later in 1953. John Anderson joined the family as helper and babysitter. Using her sewing skills DD produced much of the clothing for her growing family and herself, and also did costuming for the local theater group productions. She also sang in the musical productions, having a great liking for Rogers and Hammerstein musicals.

She was also an active member of the Bethany Congregational Church and sang in the choir, sometimes singing solos and at other times duets with JB. She also grew and arranged flowers for the church and for the family home as well. She was a wonderful cook. She produced a huge variety of candies for the Church Christmas bazaar. She made many varieties of jams, jellies, applesauce, peaches and much more for the family. She kept a large garden throughout her life, producing a steady supply fresh vegetables for the family and for the freezer. She especially loved fresh corn. She was especially famed for her rhubarb creme pie.

In 1970 DD's adventurous spirit caused her to decide to become a glider pilot. She took flying lessons in a glider and achieved her goal of getting her pilot's license in 1976 after flying solo numerous times.

Over the years DD was also an avid hiker and camper all over New England as well as occasional trips abroad. She spent a great deal of time at the cabin in Jamaica Vermont and at AMC camps all around New England. In her travels to places of great beauty, she produced a wonderful collection of both watercolor and oil paintings. She proudly displayed these in an art show at RiverWoods and many of those paintings are included in the photo section of this obituary. The originals are now highly treasured by her close family.

In 2006 they moved to the RiverWoods community in Exeter New Hampshire where DD has been an active member. They joined and were active in the UU Church in Exeter.. In January of 2015 DD caught the flu and then pneumonia and on 2/9/15 suffered a stroke. She passed away peacefully on March 18th, 2015. She leaves behind her husband John (JB), her two children (plus an unofficial son John Anderson), four grandchildren and a large extended family that stretches from Northern New England to California and Alaska.