Runyon, Dorothy Elizabeth
Dorothy Elizabeth Runyon, 71, of Brunswick, ME, died peacefully on June 15, 2022, at Mid Coast Hospital, in Brunswick, ME. Dorothy was born August 3, 1950, in Hartford, CT, to Bradford and Marjorie Griswold. Dorothy is survived by her beloved husband of 51 years, Jeffrey; her children, Kathlene (Richard) Gravelin and Matthew Runyon; her siblings, Alice (John) Kaptinski, Edith Rafferty, Nancy Griswold, and Donald Griswold; her two grandchildren; and thirteen nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by her brother, Allen Griswold (Louise), and her brotherin-law, Patrick Rafferty (Edith).
Dorothy earned her bachelor's degree from The University of Connecticut, after which she achieved credentials from Saint Joseph's College as a Registered Dietician, a vocation she practiced throughout her career. She spent most of her life in East Hampton and West Hartford, CT, developing a love of the ocean while spending time as a child at her family's summer home in Groton Long Point and leading her to settle later in life in midcoastal-Maine.
Her interests were numerous. She followed her keen
eye for identifying and cultivating flowers into a lifelong passion for gardening, and her baking was the envy of
family and friends alike. She excelled in needlework, most notably her knitting – she was rightfully proud of the mittens and sweaters she sold through gift shops in Harpswell, Maine. But her foremost commitment, love and pride was for her family. Dorothy and Jeffrey met and became high school sweethearts at West Hartford's Hall High School in the late-1960's, forging an indelible bond of over fifty years, during which they spent time in Okinawa before later relocating back to Connecticut to raise her other loves, her children. Dorothy was loved and will be missed by the many who had the privilege to know her.
A Memorial Service is scheduled for Wednesday, June 22 at 11:30 am at the First Baptist Church, 90 North Main Street, West Hartford, CT. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be
made to the Noah Webster House and West Hartford Historical Society https://noahwebsterhouse.org/ donate/. Online condolences may be made at www. SheehanHilbornBreen.com.