Dorothy Peckham Comstock

The best way to begin to describe our Mother, is that she was a class act. Whether she was digging in her garden, designing a room, volunteering for the Cherry Brook School “Elephant Sale”, painting on wooden boards with her friend Nancy, cooking over a Coleman stove while camping with family friends, wrapping a gift, or loving her children, she did it with flair and a style all her own.

Born Dorothy Janice Peckham, to Charles Ellsworth Peckham and Marion Cook Peckham, she was the middle child of three. As a young child she was a tree climbing active little girl who could make even mud pies fancy by decorating them with wildflowers. She frustrated her mother by coming home from school every day with her hair ribbons and braids all a mess and the bow tied on the back of her dress often ripped. She was the apple of her father’s eye. Over the years, she went from a tomboy to the captain of the girls cheerleading squad. She was well loved by her peers as was evidenced in her numerous high school yearbook superlatives and her daughter Laurie was told by one of her classmates at her 45th reunion ”Your mother was like a princess in our school". Dorothy loved growing up in Newport, RI and returned often (wearing her US flag sweater) to enjoy the salt water, Ocean Drive, Bowen’s Wharf and a chocolate and mint chocolate chip ice cream cone at Newport Creamery where she worked as a teenager.

Dorothy would tell you that her proudest accomplishments were her four children, Dr. J. Clinton Comstock, Douglas Craig Comstock, Bryan Andrew Comstock, and Laurie June Comstock Ferguson, and that her grandchildren (in order of birth) Brooke, Austin, Kendall, Maddie, Haley, Shannon, Emily and Jordin were her greatest delights. She loved spending time with those that live nearby and relished it when the others came home for visits, especially when we all gathered together on the Cape.

Holidays were Dorothy's favorite excuse to play and she took great care and joy in decorating her home for each. She had the most fun decorating her kitchen window for each season and holiday. At Thanksgiving and Christmas even Martha Stewart herself would be envious if she walked into our home. Dorothy never did anything halfway and always said, “it's one of my talents and I love doing it. If I didn't share it I would be denying God’s gift to me.” She loved sharing her beautiful home with other people and often times invited perfect strangers in for Thanksgiving dinner from other countries so that she could share the tradition of Thanksgiving, or she'd call a local college to invite students who couldn't make it home for the holidays. You would never catch her without red white and blue on for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Whether it was a major holiday or not, you could count on our Mother to do it up with great panache! It is fitting that after her 85 wonderful years on this earth she left us on a holiday weekend, especially Labor Day, as everything she did was a labor of love.

Dorothy died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, September 3, 2017 with her son Douglas by her side. She is predeceased by her parents, and sister Beatrice, her son-in-law John E. Ferguson and daughter-in-law Patricia Ann Comstock. She is survived by her beloved brother John and sister-in-law Cindy, her four children, her daughter-in-law Mary and eight grandchildren, along with her many nieces and nephews. She will be missed by many dear friends and relatives.

A celebration of her life will be held at Simsbury United Methodist Church, 799 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, Connecticut. Saturday, October 14, 2017 at 2 PM

In lieu of flowers we would like to suggest that you invite someone you don't know to your Thanksgiving table, do something kind for someone you don't know, make a donation to either the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts of America, or donate a teddy bear or doll at Christmas through the visiting nurse where you live. We feel these would be the best ways to honor our mother, Dorothy Peckham Comstock, who did her best to leave the world a better place wherever she went. Thank you