Dolores "Dodie" Elcik

1943 - 2022

Dolores "Dodie" Elcik

Portmouth, VA — Dolores C. "Dodie" Elcik of Portsmouth, VA died on March 26, 2022 following complications from a stroke.

Born in Brunswick, ME on April 26, 1943, Dodie was the ninth of nine kids. She graduated from Brunswick High School in 1961, worked in her beloved "paste-up department" at The Brunswick Record newspaper, and—after starting a family and moving to Exeter, NH—worked as an Amway and Tupperware dealer before launching a decades-long career as a cashier for Shaw's supermarket. Legend has it that even when other cashiers were open, Dodie's regular customers would line up at her register because they'd rather wait to laugh with her.

This is point where this obituary is supposed to describe Dodie's interests but knowing that she adored reruns of The Waltons and cardinals and lighthouses won't tell you who Dodie really was. Nor will mentioning that she prayed the rosary with Mother Angelica every day. And while this paragraph might well be the place to mention the pride she took in graduating from the Dale Carnegie course, her love for chocolate, and the joy she felt in cooking her signature fried chicken and apricot squares for hungry bellies, those details can never fully capture Dodie's kind heart and contagious belly laugh, never fully communicate that the real passion of her life were the family and friends she loved dearly, and never fully convey how she made others feel like she was shining just for them. Dodie didn't just love lighthouses, you see—she was one.

Dodie spent most of her adult life in Exeter, NH before moving first to Concord, NH in 2017 and then to Portsmouth Virginia in 2021. She is survived by her daughter Karen Baum and son-in-law Marc Baum of Portsmouth, VA; her daughter Catherine Elcik and son-in-law Michael Kelly of Winthrop, MA; her grandson, Ryan Young, of Manchester, and myriad nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends. Dodie was predeceased by her husband Edward Elcik and all eight of her siblings.

Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2022 from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Bennett Funeral Home, 209 North Main Street, Concord, NH.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30am on Friday, April 8, 2022 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 180 Loudon Road, Concord, NH, followed immediately by a Graveside Committal Service in Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.bennettfuneral.com for the Elcik family.