Dorothy “Dottie” C. Kiewra, 86, formerly of North Haven, CT, died peacefully on Friday, July 31, 2015, at the Connecticut Baptist Home in Meriden of natural causes after spending her last hours in animated conversation with two of her adult children. A medical secretary for more than 30 years, she was best known as the loving wife of the late Stanley F. Kiewra, the mother of Mike Kiewra, Karin Kiewra, Lisa Kiewra, and Ellen (Kiewra) McDonald, and “Granma” to Lily and Claire Kiewra, Jacob LaBine, and Tyler and Nathan McDonald. Born Dorothy Christine Andreasson in Boston on Dec. 23, 1928, to Swedish immigrants Ebba (Burman) and Gunnar Andreasson, she was raised by Ebba and Carl Mellgren, Ebba’s second husband. A graduate of Watertown High School, Dottie trained as a secretary at Fisher Junior College in Boston and worked in that capacity until after her marriage to Stan. A homemaker and talented seamstress and knitter, Dot was warm and generous-hearted, with an unflagging sense of humor dispensed in colorful phrases (“Put your shoes on, Lucy!” “There’s a fine line between being a good sport and being a first-class sap.”) She enjoyed people of all kinds and served as an unofficial den mother of sorts to young children in the neighborhoods of Rockville, MD, Milford, CT, and North Haven, CT, where she and Stan raised their son and three daughters. After Stan was struck by illness at age 38 and the 1970s recession unfolded, Dottie dusted off her shorthand textbook and became the family provider. Proudly, she served as secretary to Dr. Martin Sumner at his bustling group practice, New Haven Orthopedic Surgeons. After Stan’s death, in 1976, she remained an anchor for her children, launching all four off to college while remaining deeply engaged in their lives. Following a private gathering of family and friends to celebrate Dottie’s life, family members will bury most of her ashes in Belmont Cemetery in Belmont, MA, and scatter the rest, as she wished, off Block Island, RI, where she met her husband one summer—she was a waitress, he a bellhop. In lieu of sending flowers, the family asks that everyone who remembers and loved “Dottie K.” share their favorite story about her with their own loved ones.
My sincere sympathy to the Kiewra family. I met wonderful Dottie back in the 1970's when we worked together at NH Orthopedic Surgeons. Our friendship was more than work related and we spent so much time talking about her beloved Stan, her children and her mother. I have so many fond memories but Dottie's sense of humor is what I loved most about her….she would continue to type and have conversations on the phone with patients while Barbara and I would play practical jokes on her (stick pencils in her hair, for instance) and she didn't skip a beat! She taught me about loyalty, hard work and resilience and I strived to be just like her. Again, my sincere sympathy.
My sympathy to the family. I used to love to see Mrs.Kiewra in the old days at The Windsor Shoppe when I was a young kid going to school with Mike to later on when I went back to the store as a partner….just a delightful woman. May she be rest in peace.