Dorothea “Dot” Elizabeth Decesare
Dorothea “Dot” Elizabeth Decesare (nee Cardwell), 88 years old, gracefully stepped into the arms of Jesus on Friday, September 11, 2020. She is now reunited with her beloved husband, Bob. Also preceding her in death are her parents, Frank and Mary Baynes Cardwell, her siblings: Ann and Joe Armstrong, Ned and Mildred Cardwell, Smitty and Bette Cardwell, Eleanor and Jack McKnight, Lil and Pete Riddagh, John Cardwell, Mary and Ken Meiser, Nell and Frank Bruton, and Pud and Dick Bell, as well as cherished nieces and nephews Obie and Dixie Stichter, Nancy and Tommy Winfree, Diane Cardwell, Jackie Cardwell and Courtney Beck.
Dot was a native of Upland, PA, but later lived in Puerto Rico, Ridley Park, Pittsburgh, and finally, Newark, DE. Her highest calling and greatest joy was serving her husband and children. She gave tirelessly until the end. She truly was a Proverbs 31 woman— as a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend. She enjoyed a lifelong career in waitressing, which brought her many wonderful friends along the way, including her treasured “Trieste girls.”
Carrying on Dot’s legacy of love are her children, Robbie Decesare (Tucson, AZ), Debbie and Tom Knowles (Pittsburgh, PA), and George Decesare (Newark, DE); her grandchildren Leeanne and Jarrett Johnson, Shannon, Bobby, Sarah Ann, Anthony and Elizabeth Decesare, T.O. and Lynn Knowles, Kati Leigh and Aaron Schmidt, and Giovanni Decesare,
3 great-grandchildren, and countless nieces and nephews whom she adored.
Special blessings go to these cherished family members for being there whenever she needed them: Johnny and Peggy McKnight, Butch and Rita Love, Susan and Ed Ashton, Dawn and Matt Hamilton, Francis and Joy Bruton, and Marianne Steinmacher, and sister-in-law Mary Cardwell.
The family would like to thank the Christiana Care Hospital and Seasons Hospice teams for their compassion, wisdom and skill through the course of Dot’s battle with CHF.
Due to covid-19 restrictions, Dot’s home-going service will be held at graveside on Saturday, October
17, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at Edgewood Memorial Park,
325 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, PA. Her son-in-law, Pastor Tom Knowles, will officiate.