Dorothy Bentley

November 3, 2023

Dorothy Ann Bentley passed away at her home in San Anselmo, California, on November 3, 2023, with her husband of 36 years at her side. She was a beloved daughter, wife, sister, sisterin-law, aunt, great-aunt, cousin and friend known for her generosity, selflessness, and outgoing personality and style. Dorothy Ann Letcher was born in 1947 in Los Angeles, California to Carlos and Victoria Letcher. She grew up in Los Angeles and graduated high school from St. Mary’s Academy in 1965 and went on to earn a B.A. in English from Holy Names University in Oakland, California in 1969. It was there that she met a group of women whose friendships she would share over the next nearly six decades. In 1970 Dorothy received her California Teachers Credential in Secondary Education from U.C. Berkeley, becoming a life-long Cal Bear. She then began her high school teaching career in the Fremont Unified School District, ultimately working at four district campuses. As an English teacher she held her students to very high standards engendering a love of learning in her classroom; this earned her the respect of students and fellow faculty alike acknowledged by letters of commendation and awards from both inside and outside the District. During her 40-years in the District, she worked alongside many other talented teachers with whom she remained lifetime friends.

Dorothy married Dennis Facchino in 1974 and moved to Santa Clara County where she helped raise his young children from a previous marriage. That marriage ended in 1985 but her close friendship with her former mother-in-law Rosetta Facchino continued until Rose’s death in 2005. In 1987 she married Marshall Bentley to whom she was introduced by a Fremont teaching colleague and mutual friend. That brought Dorothy to San Anselmo where Marshall lived with his son Daum. Dorothy and Marshall lived a full life; they especially enjoyed attending theater productions throughout the Bay Area and annually at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. They were both inspired by world travel, and she planned excursions around the globe that she and Marshall enjoyed for over three decades. She planned and enjoyed just such an experience, a trip to Greece and a cruise to several Greek Islands, just months before her passing. Dorothy was a wonderfully warm presence in any setting, and she made many friends throughout her lifetime. She loved planning reunions of her college friends and high school teaching colleagues. Dorothy was passionate about cooking and excelled at creating new dishes and used her talent to host numerous celebrations of family birthdays and holidays. The Bentley neighborhood Holiday Party was a staple for nearly three decades, and Dorothy was meticulous in planning every detail. Her welcoming nature was not limited to humans. She also loved the many feline friends she adopted through the years and always had dog treats in hand to share with pets she encountered during her walks around San Anselmo and Fairfax.

After she retired in 2010, Dorothy continued to give back by volunteering as a teacher aide at San Pedro Elementary School in San Rafael. She loved working with the younger age group and their teachers. She took special pleasure in planning classroom celebrations of the holidays. In 2014 Dorothy was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, but she did not let this diagnosis or subsequent treatment slow her down and it remained in remission. She continued volunteering, even adding assignments in her grand nieces’ classrooms in Novato. When the pandemic limited her volunteerism, she began to help regularly at the pop-up food bank at St. Anthony’s Church in Novato and, later, at the Vivalon Dining Room in San Rafael where she gracefully served Friday lunches. This past summer Dorothy was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) which she valiantly fought but ultimately succumbed to.

Dorothy is survived by her husband, Marshall Bentley; her brother John Letcher (Terri Robertson); her niece Jennifer Oppegard (David); her two grand-nieces Amanda and Lindsey Oppegard; Marshall’s son Daum; Marshall’s sisters and brothers and their spouses; as well as extended family and the many friends whose lives she touched and enriched in so many ways. A remembrance event will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests should anyone wish to make contributions in her honor to please consider the MDS Foundation or the Best Friends Animal Society.