ALTMAN, Dorothy (Silberman)

Took her final breath on June 20, 2023, after 93 years of pure enjoyment of life. She spent her last days surrounded by family looking peacefully over Gull Pond in Wellfleet. Nothing made her happier than to be surrounded by friends and family. She loved to welcome everyone to our home. She taught us the power of traditions, including neighborhood Christmas brunches, multi-generational gatherings in Wellfleet, and family trips celebrating big birthdays. Dorothy’s sense of humor stuck with her to the end. She taught us to laugh at ourselves and the world. She loved April Fools day (she once drove the car around the corner so her husband, Hank, thought it was stolen). When we read Shakespeare for school, she would remind us that “they all died in the end.” She taught her grandchildren their first swear words. If Dorothy thought something needed fixing she would fix it. She got motor boats banned from Gull Pond. She helped create the Gull Pond Area Conservation Association (GUPACA) to protect the back-woods, Wellfleet ponds. She was an active member of the League of Women Voters; served over 30 years on the Cambridge Conservation Commission, and worked as a city planner developing affordable housing. Dorothy was a proud alumna of Shady Hill School, Buckingham School, Radcliffe (not Harvard) class of ’52, and the Harvard School of Design, where she received a Masters in City Planning. She is survived by three devoted daughters, Alison Moffitt Altman, Debby Altman Kilday, and Susan Jeanne Altman; four grandchildren, Ryan Henry Kilday, Sarah Alison Kilday, Zoe Jeanne Larson, and Claire Altman Larson, and one son-in-law, Thomas Kilday. She outlived two husbands, William Moffitt and Henry Altman. And was fortunate to have been able to spend over 10 years with Ramon Alonso. Despite having lived almost her entire life within a half-mile radius in Cambridge, she had a love of travel that has been spread to her children and grandchildren. She was an avid birdwatcher, tennis player, bridge player, news watcher, and symphony goer. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made out to “Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary” mailed to Mass Audubon, 208 S Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773, or online at http://www.massaudubon.org/honorary-memorial-gifts. We will have an open house at Longview on Saturday, August 12, 2-4 pm and in Wellfleet on Sunday, August 13th, 2-4 pm.