Dorothy Z. Leach, age 90, passed away peacefully on May 18, 2023, with her loving husband and children by her bedside.

We have no doubt that she was welcomed to heaven by her loving son Richard and is now catching up with long-lost family and friends that she has been missing for many years.

She was born on November 5, 1932, in South Portland, Maine, to parents Perry C and Willa B (Sawyer) Goodrich, Sr., and spent her early years in Scarborough, Maine.

After a short separation from her sister, Avis, due to her parent’s divorce, the two of them were reunited following their mother’s remarriage. The sisters spent several happy years together with their stepfather, Stanley Leach, who thought the world of both girls and treated them as if they were his own.

Dorothy married the love of her life, Edward, on August 4, 1950. Like any young couple in the early 50s and 60s, they had their financial struggles but always worked together to overcome each and every obstacle that came their way.

Dorothy and Edward raised their four children in Lyman, Maine. Although their household may not have had all of the modern luxuries or conveniences in their growing-up years, it didn’t make a bit of difference to their children because their parents had created and sustained a happy and loving home in which to raise them.

Dorothy was a hard-working homemaker who, once the children were all in school, began working outside the home.

She worked in various local shoe shops for 22 years and would probably have continued in this line of work had they not all gone out of business.

Not to be deterred by this, she enrolled in Andover Institute in Portland, Maine, and earned her certificate in secretarial work.

Office work was her calling! She immediately put her new-found skills to work and held several office jobs until her retirement.

She thoroughly enjoyed her job as a receptionist for Frank Galos Auto Dealership and took great pride in the work she did there. So much so that she didn’t retire from there until the age of 75.

Dorothy had many hobbies. First came ceramics which she became an expert at. She eagerly learned every painting technique she could, which resulted in beautiful and cherished gifts to many of her family and friends. 

Her next hobby was making clothes for American Girl dolls. She was an exceptional seamstress and made entire doll wardrobes for her granddaughters and great-granddaughters. She was also into quilt-making for a spell and has gifted many people with one or two of her beautiful quilts. Her most recent hobby was scrapbooking. Every scrapbook she created, of which there are many, reflects her creativity as well as her love and pride of her family.

Whether you stopped by for a quick visit or for a lengthy stay at Dorothy’s and Ed’s home, you were always made to feel welcome, and Dorothy always made sure you didn’t go hungry!

She was the best wife and mom anyone could ever ask for, and she’ll be sorely missed by her family and many friends.

Dorothy was predeceased by her son Richard, sister Avis Rowell, half-sisters Aldine Broomall and Alta Cooperman, and great-granddaughter Gracey Lon Wakefield.

She is survived by her half-brother Perry ‘Chip’ Goodrich, her loving husband of 72 years, Edward, son Michael E. Leach and his wife Sherry, daughter Patricia A. Littlefield and her husband Arthur, daughter Susan J. Black and her husband Lon, daughter-in-law Holly Leach, ten grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be held on Monday, May 22nd, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Hope Memorial Chapel in Biddeford, Maine.

Memorial service to be held on Tuesday, May 30th at 12:00 pm at the Hope Memorial Chapel in Biddeford, Maine, followed by a graveside service at 2:00 pm at the Goodwins Mills Cemetery in Lyman, Maine.

To leave a message of condolence, please visit www.hopememorial.com