Dorothy Helen (Krapf) Kroha, a long-time resident of Bethel, CT, died peacefully on Thursday, November 24, 2022 at her home with family. Dotty was born in Orange, New Jersey 86 years ago to George and Dorothy (Carl) Krapf. She grew up in West Orange, NJ and lived in New Jersey until moving to Bethel more than 50 years ago.
Fun-loving and adventurous, curious, persistent (stubborn!), and intelligent, Dotty met life with aplomb. When she was younger, she was a promising ballerina and a department store runway model. She learned to type and her father got her an interview at New Jersey Bell where she started a career as an executive secretary, working most recently in Bethel at Grolier, Consolidated Controls, and Burndy. Her long career also included positions as a photographer and as a telemarketer.
Dotty loved to travel, gravitating to either beaches or cities. She frequented the New Jersey shore and the Bahamas and she especially loved New York, Paris, and Hong Kong. She was a fan of all things Disney and was a frequent visitor to Disneyworld. She was an avid reader of fiction, Native American folklore, science, and ancient world history. She had a green thumb and could coax any seed to grow and nurse any plant to health. She enjoyed nature and the weather. Animals who visited her back yard were welcome, which led her family to lovingly call her Snow White. Frank Sinatra’s singing regularly filled her home. She avoided the kitchen; instead she could be often found taking apart some appliance or repairing something or other. She even got in trouble in high school for signing up to take auto mechanics, something females in the 1950s just did not do.
Dotty was intent on action. She was a literacy volunteer for over a decade, helping adults learn to read. She sponsored children at the St. Labre Indian School and winter after winter sent boxes of hats and gloves to the children there. She ran for the Board of Assessment in Bethel.
Dotty identified herself as a piano player. She was a skilled musician with perfect pitch and a talented composer. She was the church organist at Holy Trinity Church for some time. She used that talent in the Ms. Senior Connecticut pageant, finishing as a runner up but winning for Best Philosophy: “Seize the day, but also seize the moment. Listen to the music of the world and live in harmony with it.” And that is the way she lived her life.
Most of all, Dotty loved her family, especially relishing being a grandmother. She had an unparalleled ability to make each child and grandchild feel incredibly special and loved. She never missed an event or a birthday and her family has happy memories of pool parties and family get-togethers at her home. Her sense of humor and playfulness will be sorely missed.
Dotty was predeceased by her son John Richards and son-in-law Anthony Lombardi and is survived by her daughters, Sandi (Jim) Forman and Tracy Lombardi, and daughter-in-law Barbara Richards. She is also survived by the joy of her life, her grandchildren: Betsy (Paul) Sanborn, James (Jennifer) Forman, Amy (Walker) Seaver, Tom Richards, Katy Forman (Shaun Fitzgerald), Tyler Lombardi, Elizabeth Lombardi, Isabella Lombardi, and Lauren Lombardi and her great-grandchildren: Eloise, Matilda, Russell, Fiona, Davina, Emelia, Isaac, Jameson, and James.
The family would like to thank Mary Novicky, Arleen Norton, and the Bethel Police Department for their unwavering and generous assistance.
The funeral will be held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 95 Greenwood Ave., Bethel, Wednesday morning November 30, 2022 at 11:00 AM. Burial will follow at Elmwood Cemetery, Bethel. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Labre Indian School or the Alzheimer's Association will be very much appreciated by the family.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Dorothy H. (Krapf) Kroha, please visit our floral store.