Obituary of Dorothea W. Garrity

Dorothea, “Dottie” Garrity August 13, 1934 - December 12th, 2021 There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.” Mandy Hale Dorothea Garrity, 87, passed away on Sunday, December 12th in California with her son John and his wife Diane close by. Dottie was born Dorothea Kammerer in Queens, NY on August 13,1934, alongside her twin brother Frankie Kammerer. Being the only girl of four children, Dottie learned to become the resilient, say it like it is lady that we all knew and loved. She and her brothers Frankie, Charlie and Karl all remained very close throughout her life. Dottie met her first husband, John Palumbo in Queens, NY and had two children, Johnny Boy and Linda. Dottie went on to begin a career in the hospitality industry as a waitress working in various restaurants throughout New York and Florida. She created and maintained many life-long friendships during her career. After the divorce of her first husband, Dottie met an Irish businessman from the Bronx named Bill Garrity. They were a perfect match and she would spend the rest of her life with him enjoying their common love of entertaining family and friends. Dottie and Bill moved to Florida in 1972 and bought a house in Redington Shores where they resided for 34 years. With family at the center of their world, they often invited many of their out-of-town relatives and friends to stay with them at the beach and create new memories. About eight years later they showed how much family really meant to them when they unexpectedly and selflessly decided to take in and raise their grandson Jim, from the age of 6 years old on. They had already raised their own children and were approaching their 50’s but felt this was the right thing to do. Dottie was a thoughtful and loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, wife, and friend. She was special because she listened intently, cared fully, loved wholeheartedly, taught patiently, encouraged positively, gave selflessly, laughed carelessly, helped voluntarily, and included people entirely. This showed up in so many ways, which included her helping people in the neighborhood, volunteering as the president of the Gulf Beaches Mothers Guild, singing with the vets at the VA hospital, or helping educate kids in school about child safety. Dottie was also a hoot at times with her comical stories or slightly inappropriate, but always funny, grandma jokes. She never said no to a challenge, new adventure, or fun activity. Whether it was completing a bathroom renovation by herself, creating Halloween costumes by hand, riding rollercoasters in her 60’s, or white water rafting in her 70’s. She was definitely a get it done and have fun kind of woman. Dottie really enjoyed the outdoors. She loved flowers and creating beautiful gardens for feeding birds and butterflies. Her favorite show was Golden Girls and you often heard her laughing out loud while watching. She also liked old musicals from the 1940 and 50’s. It was obvious Dottie didn’t take this life too seriously when you heard her quotes about life; that’s the way the cookie crumbles, the car doesn’t charge you, getting older ain’t for sissies, and if I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself. These quotes always made you chuckle. The last two restaurants where Dottie worked before retiring were the Scandia restaurant in Indian Rocks for 15+ years and 5+ years at the popular American Legion Post 273 in Madeira Beach. In 2006, she moved out to Sacramento, CA to enjoy time with her son Johnny Boy, wife Diane and grandson Kyle. They created lots of wonderful memories during their travels and cruises. Some of her most memorable trips were visiting the breathtaking sights of our National Parks out west and cruising to some of her bucket list places like Alaska and Hawaii. In addition to her parents and husband Bill, Dot was predeceased by her daughter Linda Kuhn and brothers Frankie and Karl Kammerer. She is survived by her son John Palumbo (and Diane), son/grandson Jim Garrity (and Alison), daughter-in-law Leslie Anderson (and Bob) and daughter-in-law Mary Kay. She also leaves behind her brother Charlie Kammerer and four grandchildren: Jared, Kyle, Billy, and Katie. -We love you like the whole world! A private family ceremony will be held in Redington Shores, FL in April.