Dorothy DeVoti

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Dorothy DeVoti, 84, of Sheffield, Mass., died Aug. 27, 2021, with her family by her side.

Dorothy grew up in Hell’s Kitchen on 9th Avenue in Manhattan, a place she loved, surrounded by her extensive Italian family and all the interest of NYC at a time when kids could play on the streets and explore.

She began her working life as an executive secretary in the import-export business.

In 1960, she met William DeVoti, and in three months they were married. Together, they had three children; in the midst of this, in 1968, they moved to Sheffield, where they built a house and a beautiful life together.

She was a real homesteader, raising goats and children, gardening, and making abundant meals for her family, visiting poets and friends. She served on the Sheffield library committee and over the years volunteered at the Housatonic Valley Regional High School Alternative School, which William founded.

As Dorothy’s kids became independent, she went back to college, first at Berkshire Community College, which she admired for its excellent teachers and equal opportunity learning, and then at Westfield State College, where she earned her B.A. with honors in the same year that her youngest child graduated from Princeton University.

Although she was not raised in a family or culture where education was encouraged for women, together she and William valued education and made it a priority for their children, all of whom graduated from colleges and universities.

Dorothy traveled to Europe for the first time in 1985 with William for their 25th wedding anniversary, and they never missed a year after that (until the pandemic). She was a passionate traveler, with a knack for finding wonderful new places and a particular talent for wandering — it was never the destination so much as it was the discoveries along the way. And of course, as she said, it was always the company that counted. Dorothy and William were married for almost 61 years.

She was a long-distance walker; it was a source of real joy to her, and with William she took many walking trips through Europe, including the entire Camino de Santiago. As a degenerative muscular condition developed, she lost this ability, but she continued to evolve and find ways to keep mobile and keep traveling. She was a natural and gifted writer and was a published writer with International Travel News, most recently with a focus on travel advice for people with disabilities.

Dorothy had a remarkable interest in people and their lives and was a genuine listener, which led her to draw out anyone, from the friends she met at home and abroad to people who only for a moment crossed her path. She believed strongly in equality of the human spirit, that no one is more valuable than anyone else. She took great joy in her children and grandchildren and has taught them all generosity, kindness and courage. She was and is so loved.

She is survived by her husband, William DeVoti of Sheffield; her children, Mark and his wife, Erica DeVoti, of Cañon City, Colo., Willa and her husband, Rennie Worsfold, of Wenham, Mass., and Emily DeVoti and her husband, Joe Roland, of Great Barrington; and five grandchildren ranging in age from 32 to 8, all of whom she adored and poured herself into during their formative early years: Benjamin (and his wife, Brooke) DeVoti, Joshua DeVoti, Camilla Worsfold, Fiona Worsfold and Fionn DeVoti Roland. She is also survived by her sister, Laura Stropoli of Long Island; and her brother, Jack Gargiulo of Florida.

Dorothy was predeceased by her brother, Gino Gargiulo; and her parents, Ann and Dominick Gargiulo.

Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dorothy’s name are warmly accepted at www.HartleyHouse.org, serving school-age children, youth and seniors in Hell’s Kitchen by enriching their lives, expanding their opportunities, and building a sense of community, since 1897.