Birth date: May 1, 1927 Death date: Jul 9, 2016
Dorothy "Dottie" Zelman, 89, passed away July 9, 2016. She loved her family, friends, Elvis Presley, the Tampa Bay Rays and playing slot machines, though not necessarily in that order! Dottie was born and raised in Boston, MA, and Read Obituary
A great second Mom to me and many others. She had a great and admirable spirit about her. I always admired her. She was always so kind to me.
To one of the most beautiful person we have ever had the pleasure of calling our friend. Rest in peace sweet. Dot. You will be sorely missed. Linda
They say life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone. This is what makes the passing of Dottie Zelman so hard. Dottie was such a gem. At the young age of 89, she was living, and loving life. Dottie was full of joy, and happiness. She loved Elvis so much, I would bet she would have waited to pass until August 16, in hopes that Elvis, would be there to greet her. And he just might have been. Because everyone knows if anyone could pull that off, it would be Dottie. To say the least she will be dearly missed by so many. ( In case some of you don’t know.. Elvis died August 16, 1977 She would have been very disappointed, if you didn’t know that.) Dottie’s motto… Live life to the fullest… living life her way, and she did. Dottie you’ve lived a life that’s full. You've loved, you've laughed, and cried. Dottie says, the things she truly feels; and not the words of one who kneels. She faced it all, and stood tall. Yes, it was Dottie’s way! Dottie, when you smile the world was brighter… That’s the wonder… The wonder of you! It was my privilege to have known you. No good byes for you. I know how you hate good byes. Love always, Angela
"Ms. Z" was a role model for many of us in Topai BBG - S. Miami and allowed us to develop into the young women we were to become. She volunteered hours of her time. (Andrea was so great about sharing "her mom" with 37 other girls). Ms. Z gave so many of us her "undivided attention". She made me feel that whatever was going on in my life was important. She always asked about my schoolwork, boyfriend at the time, (whoever that may be), my sister, Patti, and my parents, Barbara and Leon. Her advise was always insightful and she managed to give me a sense that I had arrived at the answer to whatever the issue was "all by myself". She was a great conveyor of confidence, leadership and taught me the value of volunteerism. She also had the greatest sense of humor. I loved her outlook! She had plenty of her own disappointments, but she was a survivor. I loved the stories Andrea shared over the years of her mom in Vegas and the ballpark. The world is a brighter place for her being here. I'm so very grateful for my memories. I wish strength and comfort to her family at this time of loss. For those who were lucky to know her, she lives on. Go Dottie!
Love,
Robbi Carrier
Louise I miss you so Much
Thelma
I am one of the beneficiaries of the trunkful of gifts, so I have a lot of great memories of Grandma Dottie. One of my favorites was from 2012, when she came to Washington, D.C. for my graduation. That weekend we took a trip to Annapolis, Maryland. Despite hot weather and inexplicable traffic jams, she only had positive things to say. I told her that if you steal a sailor's hat he has to kiss you to get it back. She found her favorite cadet and snatched his hat from his head. He was as charmed by her as we all are and paid to have it returned. The world would be a better place if we lived like Dottie lived. I'm looking forward to making some ratatouille in her honor.
I am one of the beneficiaries of the trunk full of presents, so I have a lot of wonderful Grandma Dottie memories. One of my favorite was from 2012 when she came to Washington, DC for my graduation. We took a trip to Annapolis and, despite the hot weather and inexplicable traffic, she only had positive things to say (unlike every other person jammed into the back seat of the car). After I told her that if you steal a sailor's hat he has to kiss you to get it back she found her favorite of the bunch and snatched his hat. He was as charmed by her as we all are and paid for the return of his hat. The world would be a better place if we all lived like Grandma Dottie did. Looking forward to making some ratatouille in her honor.
I have so many wonderful memories of Grandma Dottie - one of my favorites was from 2012 when she came to Washingotn DC to attend my graduation. We took a trip to Annapolis that weekend and, despite the hot weather and inexplicable traffic jammed in a narrow back seat, she only had positive things to say. After I told her that if you took a sailor's hat he had to kiss you to get it back, she picked her favorite of the bunch and snatched it. He was as charmed by her as we all were and paid to have his hat returned. Looking forward to making some ratatouille in her honor.
