Dorothea H. Morse

Morse, Dorothea H.

Dorothea Marie Hespe Morse, age 88, formerly of Irvington, Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, NY died Wednesday, January 9, 2013 in Tennessee after a brief illness. Born in Philadelphia on January 1, 1925, she was the eldest daughter of George and Helen O'Malley Hespe. Dorothea grew up in West Philadelphia where she graduated from the former Notre Dame Academy on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia in 1942 and earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1946, where she was a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority. She received an M.A. in Education from Manhattan College in 1973. Dorothea (Dottie) had lived in the area since 1947 before moving from Sleepy Hollow Manor in 1976. Thereafter, she established her home on Hilton Head Island, SC for 28 years, where she taught many years in the Beaufort County, SC school system as a special education teacher. She was a former President of the Literacy Foundation on Hilton Head Island, member of the American Association of University Women, and member of the Avid Gardeners' Association. Upon retiring, she was active in literacy tutoring. Since 2006 she made her home near her children in Lenoir City, TN where she was an active member of St. Thomas The Apostle Church.

Dorothea was preceded in death by her brothers, James Hespe in 1984 and George Hespe in 2005, and a nephew, James Hespe, Jr. in 1986. She had been married to the late Dr. Francis F.E. Morse, formerly of Ardsley and Sleepy Hollow, NY. She is survived by her daughter, Marianne Morse of Knoxville, TN; sons, Francis F.E. Morse of Schuylerville, NY, Robert of Knoxville, TN and Christopher of Ipswich, MA; grandchildren, Katie and Adam Morse; sister, Marianne H. Thompson of Malvern, PA; brother, William Hespe of Merion Station, PA; eleven nephews and three nieces.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 10AM on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at Saints Cosmas and Damien Parish in Conshohocken, PA (209 W. Fifth Ave). Visitation prior to the service is welcome at the church. Burial will immediately follow at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Literacy Foundation, Catholic Charities, or the STAR Riding Academy of Knoxville, TN. Click Funeral Home Farragut Chapel, 11915 Kingston Pike is serving the Morse family. www.clickfh.com