Dorothy Duncan, age 86, passed away peacefully at her home in Danbury, CT on Sunday morning, November 17, with family by her side.
Formerly of Port Washington and New Milford, CT, Dorothy was born on Dec., 28, 1926, the daughter of John Edgar and Maude (Fiscus) Duncan of Grosse Pointe, MI.
A gifted pianist and singer, Dorothy attended the Eastman School of Music and National Music Camp at Interlochen, then earned her bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Michigan in 1949.
After college, she became a music teacher, then left the classroom to begin a family in Ossining, NY with her husband Roger Appleby.
In 1963, they relocated to Port Washington. Divorced in 1972, Dorothy Duncan resumed her maiden name and studied computer science at Hofstra University. She then worked as a computer programmer at Doubleday & Company in Garden City, and Publishers Clearing House in Port Washington, retiring in 1992.
As a single mother, Dorothy Duncan raised and provided for her three children by reeducating herself in a promising new field—and bravely starting a new career at the age of 46. She relocated to New Milford, CT, in 2010, then purchased her dream house on Kellner’s Pond in Danbury, CT in 2011. She lived here happily in quietude for two years with her beloved German shepherd, Daisy.
Dorothy’s survivors include her son Shaun Appleby, grandson Ethan Appleby and his mother, Jenny Creasy, her daughter Amy Appleby and husband Peter Pickow, her son Jed Appleby, wife Magaly, and grandson Matthew Appleby, and her grandson Travis Appleby and his mother Sarah Strange. She is also survived by her dear brother, D. Grey Duncan of Jacksonville, FL, and numerous beloved nieces and nephews. Dorothy was predeceased in 2007 by her older brother John “Jack” E. Duncan Jr. of Grosse Pointe, MI, beloved husband of Mary Lou.
A remembrance gathering will be held on Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. at the Fellowship Hall of the Sherman Congregational Church, 6 Church Road, Sherman, CT. Condolences and memories may also be shared online at www.ForeverMissed.com.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Carl Schurz Park Conservancy for a memorial bench in Dorothy’s name in Carl Schurz Park. Mail to: The Carl Schurz Park Conservancy, c/o Adopt-a-Bench for Dorothy Duncan, 1562 First Avenue, Suite 331, New York, NY 10028. Online donations may be made at www.carlschurzparknyc.org
She filled us with love and laughter and will be greatly missed.
