Cobleskill- Dorothy Smith Smalley passed away May 15, 2013 at home surrounded by her loving family.
She was born November 14, 1921 in New Bern, NC to the late William James Smith and Callie Williams Smith. Dorothy graduated from Bridgeton, NC High School in 1938. In 1942, she graduated from Greensboro College in Greensboro, NC, majoring in chemistry and mathematics. After college, she worked at the State Laboratory of Hygiene in Raleigh, NC and was transferred to Duke Hospital in Durham, NC.
In March 1946, she was married to Ralph Smalley, who served in the Marine Corps at Cherry Point, near her home in New Bern, NC. After his discharge from the service, they moved to Ithaca, NY where he graduated from Cornell University and then taught at SUNY Farmingdale. They later moved to Gainesville, Florida where he received his PhD and then lived in Plantation, Florida.
In September 1962 they and their three children moved to Cobleskill, NY where Ralph taught at SUNY Cobleskill. Dorothy taught math at Cobleskill High School. She later worked in the Accounting Department at Sterling Insurance Company until her retirement in 1985. Dorothy was a member of the Cobleskill United Methodist Church and a Sunday School teacher in Farmingdale, NY, Gainesville, FL, and Cobleskill. She was a Cub Scout Den Mother in Gainesville and Cobleskill. She enjoyed crafts, puzzles, and gardening with her husband.
Dorothy was predeceased by her husband, Ralph Smalley, who died in 2010; her son, David Smalley, who died in 2008; brothers, Walter Smith and Samuel Smith, and sisters, Jane Wilson and Marjorie Carter.
She is survived by her daughter, Patricia (Stuart) Chandler of Cobleskill; and son, Timothy (Barbara) Smalley of Athens, GA; grandchildren, Daniel (Amy) Eldredge of Saratoga Springs, NY, Suzanne Czechowski of Cobleskill, Logan Smalley of New York City, NY, and Benjamin Smalley of Atlanta, GA; great-grandchildren, Austin, Brooke, and Lucas Czechowski of Cobleskill, and Mary Eldredge of Saratoga Springs, NY. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Mary Wright of Beaver Dams, NY; nephews, Brian Smith of Norfolk, VA and Thomas (Esther) Smith and family of Raleigh, NC; and a niece, Carla (Chuck) Dequaine and family of Springfield, VA.
Dorothy will be remembered as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend to many. Friends are invited to attend her memorial celebration of life service on Monday, June 3, at 10:00 AM at the Cobleskill United Methodist Church, 107 Chapel St., Cobleskill. The family will receive visitors on Sunday, June 2, from 4 to 6 PM at Mereness-Putnam Funeral Home, 171 Elm St., Cobleskill.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Cobleskill United Methodist Church, 107 Chapel St., Suite 1, Cobleskill, NY 12043 or Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc., 795 E. Main St., Suite 11, Cobleskill, NY 12043.