Dorothy J. Healey

Dorothy “Dottie” Healey, age 83, passed away peacefully in the comfort of her family, after a brief illness, March 20, 2024. Dottie was born in Weston, MA on April 12, 1940, and was the daughter of the late Richard and Lillian (Hansbury) White. 

Dottie was a devoted wife and mother who always put her family first. She is survived by her four children, Kenneth Healey and his wife Patricia of Westwood, MA, Laureen Craven of Westwood, MA, Paul Healey and his wife Michelyn of Medway, MA and Virginia Gird and her husband Bill of Holliston, MA. She will be forever cherished and remembered by her nine grandchildren, Kelly Healey, Kaitlin Healey, Ryan Healey, Julie Craven, Erin Craven, Melissa Craven, Lauren Healey, Jennifer Healey, and Nicole Newton. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband of sixty-two years, Kenneth T. Healey (March 18, 2024). Dottie is survived by her sisters Nancy Healey of Palm Beach Gardens, FL, and Virginia Seeley of Stone Mountain, GA, and her brother Robert White of Dedham, MA, and sixteen nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her brothers Richard White and Frederick White.

Dottie attended Weston High School where she immersed herself in activities from athletics to cheerleading, developed many life-long friendships, and met her future husband, Ken. She graduated from Catherine Laboure School of Nursing and soon found her specialty in the mental health field. Dottie’s empathetic nature and caring demeanor was a natural fit and she enjoyed success over many decades as a registered nurse at Crittenton Hastings House for Women and Children, The Gaebler Children’s Center, Medfield State Hospital, and Westborough State Hospital. Her passion for nursing inspired others, including her daughter Laureen, to choose the same profession. Dottie and Ken raised their family in Newton, MA and spent time in retirement in West Palm Beach, FL, returning to Westwood, MA to be close to their children and grandchildren.

Dottie’s most meaningful and treasured roles were that of Mom and Nana. She was a loving mother who was always present in her children’s lives, and she shared an incredible bond with her grandchildren, making each of them feel loved and important. Dottie especially enjoyed celebrating her children’s and grandchildren’s birthdays, family holiday gatherings, and making all the necessary fuss. Her welcoming smile and vibrant personality made people around her smile and feel special. Dottie will always be remembered for her generous nature and her thoughtfulness. Her legacy, a compelling force of genuineness, will carry on in her children, grandchildren, and all whose lives she touched.

There will be no Visiting Hours. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday morning March 27^th at 11am in St. Margaret Mary Church, 845 High St. Westwood. Following the Mass, interment will be at New Westwood Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dottie’s memory to Crittenton Women’s Union (Empath) https://empathways.org/give