Dorothy S. Parkhurst

Dorothy Grace (Simpson) Parkhurst, 93, of Guilford, CT, died peacefully at Apple Rehab in Guilford on April 18. She was the wife of the late Richard Jackson Parkhurst. Born July 17, 1917, in Windham Center, she was the daughter of the late Charles Perry and Ann Elizabeth (Scott) Simpson, the fourth of five children. Dorothy graduated from Plainfield High School in 1935 and trained at Willimantic State Teachers' College, graduating in 1939. She was able to attend the 70th Reunion of her Normal School class in May 2009 at ECSU. She taught many years in the Lebanon School System, retiring in 1975. She was a passionate quilter in her retirement years and also loved gardening, reading, antiquing, bird watching, the ocean, collecting teddy bears, and traveling to visit family. Dorothy married Richard Jackson Parkhurst on Easter Sunday, 1946, in Calvary Chapel, Canterbury. They lived on the Meadow Lark Dairy Farm in Lebanon and later moved to Franklin. Dorothy also lived in Londonderry, NH, and both Brooklyn and Branford, CT. She is survived by three daughters: Elizabeth Ann(William) East of Pickering, England, Susan (Edward) Hayes of Guilford, and Rachel (Jonathan)Prescott of Medford, New Jersey; six grandchildren: James East of York, England, Charles (Lu) East of London, England, Kate (Mark) Steinke of Durham, NC, Victoria Prescott of Toledo, OH, William Prescott of Medford, NJ, and Alan Hayes of Durham, NH; and three great-grandchildren. Dorothy is also survived by her sister Delvena Hart of Plainfield, CT and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her two brothers, Carl R. and Charles E. Simpson, and sister, Georgeanna Wellinghausen, and two nephews. A funeral will be held on Saturday, April 23, at the Franklin Congregational Church, Franklin, CT at 1:30 PM, with burial to follow at the Plains Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to either the Franklin Congregational Church, 31 Meeting House Hill Road, Franklin, CT 06245 or to Apple Rehab Guilford Recreation Fund, 10 Boston Post Road, Guilford, CT 06437. Arrangements are through the Potter Funeral Home, Willimantic. Please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com for online memorial guest book.