In Loving Memory of Dot Hartley

• Recording of the Memorial Service for Dot Hartley, May 17, 2025
• Slide Show Shown Before and After Memorial Service

Dot Hartley passed away in her home on Saturday, May 3, 2025 at the age of 94. She was born Dorothy Elizabeth White on February 19, 1931, the second of three children of V. R. 'Bob' and Ruth White. After living in Biscoe and Raeford, North Carolina, the family settled in Fayetteville.

She graduated from Fayetteville High School, where her father was principal, earned a Bachelor's Degree from Meredith College, and studied art at the Massachusetts Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston. There she met Bob Hartley, an M.I.T. graduate student. They married in Fayetteville on February 11, 1956 in a double wedding with her sister Ruthanna 'Rann' and Bobby Holmes.

Their first son, Ralph, was born in Boston. In 1959 they moved to Bethesda, Maryland where they had three more boys, Henry, George, and Albert. Dot's artistic pursuits included textile design, silk screen, ceramics, china painting, wood cuts, block printing, photography, sewing, and quilting. She created over 80 quilts, many as gifts. She found inspiration everywhere—from grandchildren in a hammock to reflections on a pond, from faces of people in Mexico to the focused light of a dentist's office. As a longtime N.I.H. Camera Club member, she won numerous ribbons for her photography.

Dot loved to travel and passed that love on to her children. The family crossed the country four times before the boys were grown, visiting National Parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite. In 1974, they hiked the Grand Canyon, which they missed in 1965 when Ralph and Henry contracted mumps during the drive.

Family time was precious to Dot, whether at Glen Orchard in Southern Virginia, visiting parents in Fayetteville, her brother in North Carolina, or her sister in Pensacola. She treasured the annual family reunion in Perquimans County, often followed by a week at the beach with her brother's family, cousins, or neighborhood friends.

In 1964, Dot and Bob purchased 75 acres in Pennsylvania, camping in their big, yellow tent until building a cabin in the mid-1970s. Dot became a regular at the local lumber yard. She thought nothing of cooking for six over an open fire all summer. Together, they planted over 6,000 trees on the property, some while Dot was pregnant with Albert.

In June 1971, the family flew to Europe, picked up their Volkswagen minibus, and camped throughout Western and Eastern Europe. They settled in Cambridge, England for the school year, where Dot indulged her boys' love of castles and her own passion for art and architecture. She took rubbings of monumental brasses, including Sir Roger de Trumpington. The family explored Wales, southwest England, and rain-soaked Scotland, where their faithful yellow tent finally surrendered. They also navigated England's canals on the Sir Peregrine for a week. In summer 1972, they ferried to Norway, drove to Hammerfest, then through Finland, Sweden, and Denmark before returning to their home in Bethesda.

Drawn back to Greece, Dot worked at Minnesota Fabrics to fund an eight-week family backpacking trip there in 1981. She, Bob, and Albert returned in 1984, and again with Ralph and Henry's families in 1997 and 2007, respectively. Other adventures included canoeing in northeastern Canada, visiting Alaska, returning to Czechoslovakia, traveling west with family, and trips to the Pacific Northwest, New England, Russia, Portugal, Italy, and South America. After Bob's passing in 2009, Dot traveled to Turkey, India, southern Africa, Cuba, Australia, New Zealand, and the Balkans with family and friends.

In 2018, she moved to Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg, where she maintained an active lifestyle with daily walks and exercise classes. She moved to assisted living in 2024, remaining grateful for her care and continuing to encourage others considering the same transition—typical of her lifelong ability to find beauty and goodness in all circumstances.