- Date Of Birth: August 4, 1922
- Date Of Death: October 16, 2019
- State: Maine
Dorothy” means “Gift of God” and that she certainly was. Dorothy Anne Butler Kimball was born August 4, 1922 to William and Anne (Anger) Butler of Roselle Park, NJ. She was the oldest of 3 children. Her father passed when she was 15, so for her to have 97 years of life on Earth to enjoy several generations of her family made her feel very blessed.
Dorothy came to Maine to work at Hansen Farms during WW2. There she met Gerald Kimball whom she married in 1944. Their marriage produced 3 children. Together they gave much to the town of Gray, its people and others who needed them. They celebrated 55 years together before Gerald passed in 1999.
Dorothy worked for many years in the office at A.L. Doggett with her friend Mary Bosse. She was also employed by the Gray schools and Cole Farms in several capacities.
She was very gifted artistically, including writing poetry, drawing, woodcarving, quilting and painting. She would always say, “How do you know you can’t do it if you don’t try”, and try she did. She loved music and belonged to the folk choir at St. Gregory’s and AimHi Singers, but her best singing days were with her beloved friend, Betty Seabury. The two would sing to shut-ins and at nursing homes or other events when their talents were requested.
Dorothy enjoyed helping and encouraging others. She volunteered at Marie Joseph’s Spiritual Center (Biddeford) for over 20 years and was a founding volunteer with more than a decade of service at Camp Sunshine. She also volunteered in schools, Girl Scouts and Gray Youth Club. She learned sign language and taught religion classes at Baxter School. She made countless birthday cakes and “loopy letter” cards. When she could no longer make her special cards, she purchased cards, sending thousands of cards all over the US. She was the “cookie lady” for years making dozens of cookies and delivering them all over town – just to share and bring a smile. If anything was needed, she would do her best to help.
Surviving Dorothy are her brother, William Butler of New Jersey; and her children Linda Mitchell (Stephen), Edmonds, WA; Kevin Kimball, Gray; and Nancy Moyes (Bill), Gray. She was blessed with grandchildren Todd Mitchell, Susan Milam (Darren), Eric Moyes (Shannon), Gregory Moyes (Rosalie), and Kelly Jones (Keith Pillsbury) and great-grandchildren Alexis Milam Hall (Caleb), Zachary Milam, Orrin and Dexter Moyes, and Logan and Noah Pillsbury. She was very proud of them all.
Dorothy went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Oct. 16, 2019. She looked forward to being reunited with her loved ones.
Most of all, be kind to each other.