Obituary of Dorothy Avora Reese

Reese, Dorothy (Dot) Avora, 83 of Cottage Cove, formerly of New Minas, went home peacefully to the arms of her beloved Lord, surrounded by her loving family, on Thursday, March 29, 2012 following her year long brave fight against cancer. Born November 08, 1928 in Lockhartville, she was the daughter of the late Emmerson & Iona (Barron) Hutchinson. Dot??s educational years were spent in Avonport & Wolfville schools, Queen Elizabeth High School, Halifax, MacDonald College High School, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec & Guelph, Ont. Dot married Chester, the love of her life, on May 24, 1949 & they raised their three daughters in Kentville & New Minas. Dot worked at the Royal Bank, Kentville before they had children. She was a hard working, stay-at-home wife & mother, devoted to her family. She created & sewed the most gorgeous little dresses, for her daughters, some of which were copied from pictures of Princess Anne. Dot & Chester were members of & faithfully attended the United Church of St. Paul and St. Stephen, Kentville. & the New Minas United Church. Their home was always a warm, welcoming place for the kids in the neighborhood. Dot enjoyed her experience as a camp leader for the local Girl Guides. She shared her wonderful sense of style & design when she worked for Davelyn Jewellers in the 1970??s. Dot worked, along side Chester, when he created & ran Reese Enterprises, from their home office, in the 1980??s. Dot & Chester bought a shore property, in Cottage Cove, for their retirement & worked countless hours, side by side, to build & create the beautiful gardens at ???Sea Edge??. All who visited were encouraged to enjoy the beauty & peace of the property & of it??s owners. Dot was a founding member of the Emmanuel Congregational Christian Church, Middleton, where she served as an elder. She truly enjoyed the fellowship of her church family, where she shared her faith, enthusiasm, leadership, guidance & thirst for knowledge. She was a frequent leader of Bible classes & occasionally shared her messages, inspired by God, from the pulpit. With the Lord??s help she finished her last sermon, ???The Pearl of Great Price?? shortly before Christmas. Her love for her family knew no bounds. Her passions included music, reading, studying the scriptures, baking, Scrabble, travelling, photography, writing poetry, enjoying the seashore, hybridizing lilies & creating gorgeous gardens at ???Sea Edge??, with her husband, Chester, soul mate of 62 years. She shared her grace, strength, love, joy of life & wonderful sense of humor, with her family & friends, ensuring that everyone around her felt special. Dot often delivered her cooking & baking to those she felt in need of some TLC. She was the most wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother & friend & will be sadly missed by her family & the many lives she has touched. Her hugs made a person feel surrounded in love, warmth & peace. Dot is survived by her husband, Chester; daughters, Debbie (Wilfred) Ells, Woodside; Sherry Hockey & Wanda (John) Corey, New Minas; grandchildren, Peter Ells (Jill Johnson), Whitecourt, AB; Alicia Corey (Jay MacIntyre), Portuguese Cove; Michael Ells, N.B.; Sarah (David) Stewart, South Lake, PE; Jonathan Corey, New Minas; Katrina Hockey (Chris Gerrior) Cole Harbor; great-grandchildren, Wyatt Ells, Whitecourt, AB; Jakob & Ryker Stewart, South Lake, PE; Charlotte & Colin MacIntyre, Portuguese Cove; sisters, Jean Weagle, Falmouth; Mildred Lutwick, Lethbridge, AB; Madge (Vernon) Davison, Kentville; Barbara Joan Miller, Denver, Colorado; Carol (James) Legge, Greenwich; brothers, Frank (Madeline) Hutchinson, Port Williams; Richard (Mary) Hutchinson, Avonport; sisters-in-law, Isabelle Melanson, Bedford; Betty Boylan, Bridgetown, many nieces & nephews & their families. Besides her parents, Dot was predeceased by sisters, Margaret Rose (age 2 yrs.) & Frances Wellwood; brother, Ralph Hutchinson; brothers-in-law, Kenneth Weagle; Arnold Wellwood; Laurence Lutwick & Theodore Miller; grand daughter, Melissa Eaton in infancy. Special thanks to Rev. William MacDougall, Pastor Sweis Ubels, the Emmanuel Congregational Church family, Dr. Ian Verry-Stuart, Dr. J. Merriweather, Dr. Lori Burgess, the Palliative care team & the VON. Cremation has taken place under the care & direction of the Annapolis Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Centre, 34 Coldbrook Village Park Dr. Coldbrook (Exit 14) &from where visitation will be held from 7-9 pm. Monday. A celebration of Dot??s life will be held 2:00 p.m. Tuesday from the Emmanuel Congregational Church, Middleton. Pastor Sweis Ubels & Rev. Dr. William MacDougall officiating. Family flowers only. Donations in memory may be made to the Emmanuel Congregational Christian Church; Canadian Cancer Society or to the Victorian Order of Nurses. On line condolences may be made through www.annapolisvalleyfuneralhome.com Faith, Hope and Love??_??_and the greatest of these is Love