Dorothy Middleton Wood Letts ‘38
Palm Beach - Dorothy Middleton Wood Letts, fondly known as Dotsy to all of us who loved her, died at home on July 11, 2024. She was the daughter of the late Marshall Baird Wood and Dorothy Churchill Hankins Wood.
Dotsy was raised in Palm Beach, Florida, having been born in Good Samaritan Hospital. She spent much of her youth and adulthood with her closest friends Nancy Alley Maass, Olive Massie Gowen, and Sara Wakefield Sage. She attended the Palm Beach Day School, the Palm Beach Public School, and graduated high school from St. Margaret's School in Virginia. She went on to graduate from Sweet Briar College with a degree in liberal arts, majoring in art history. After graduating, she went on a European tour with Olive and Sara. While traveling abroad, she ended up in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she met her future husband, the late Honorable Gavin G. K. Letts. They lived in Cheadle Hulme, England, before returning to the United States in 1955 and moving back to Palm Beach in 1958.
After Gavin's death, in their 40th year of marriage, Dotsy subsequently met her remainder of life sweetheart, Warren R. Dix, who predeceased her. For their 19 years together, they cherished their annual idyllic visits to Southport Island, Maine, where they spent time with family and friends; they also enjoyed traveling to Europe. Dotsy became very close to Warren's family: his daughter, Missy and husband Bob, their children, and his sons, Bill, and Richard, and his children.
Dotsy was a dedicated board member of the Palm Beach Branch of The English-Speaking Union, which her parents started in 1952. She was also on the Board of Directors of the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, retaining Emerita status. She was a member of The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-By-The-Sea, The Garden Club of Palm Beach, The Society of the Four Arts, The Everglades Club, and the Bath and Tennis Club. She was an avid artist, gardener, and bridge player. And, she loved to entertain and always threw a good party. Later in life, she took up drumming and was known to play at her house during parties. She also loved drawing birthday cards for friends that contained witty limericks capturing their personalities. Above all, she was a devoted and loving wife to Gavin, and then similarly as Warren's companion a few years after Gavin's death, a devoted mother to her daughter, Sophy, foster mother to Deborah McGavin Harris, who predeceased her, and a devoted aunt and friend to so many.
The family extends heartfelt gratitude to Dotsy's caregivers - Bleu, Mia, Donna, Glenis, Amparo, Andrea, and Lily, whose loving attention permitted her to remain at home for the final years of her life. They filled each day with compassionate love and joy.
She is survived by her daughter Sophia (Sophy) of Palm Beach, nieces Betty (David) of Acton, MA, and Leslie of Maine, and grandnephews Noah (Milena), Ethan, and Andrew, grand-niece Elizabeth (Matt), and great grand-nephews Gordon, Theodore, and Jeremy, and great grand-niece Kathleen. She was predeceased by her nephew Tom of Austin, TX.
Dotty at St. Margaret's in 1938. The campus is the same, as the A-House and B-House can be seen in the background.
Dotty '38 and Sissy '75 in November 2022
