Dorothy Marie Amore

Dorothy "Dottie" Amore

November 16, 1931 – November 9, 2025

With sadness yet with so much love, the family of Dorothy (Dottie) Amore announces her passing on November 9, 2025, at age 93, in Fairfax, Virginia, surrounded by her family.

Born in Detroit in 1931 to Polish and German immigrant parents Kaeten and Mary Zakolski, Dottie grew up during the Great Depression, one of five siblings. Her life was shaped by courage, curiosity, cooking, and a deep love of family.

At just 21, Dottie and her sister Helen answered a U.S. Army recruitment ad seeking secretaries to serve abroad. They set off for Japan in 1952-traveling cross-country by train, then crossing the Pacific from Seattle by Naval ship. Dottie spent two years in Tokyo and Osaka, serving as a civilian secretary for the U.S. Army during the Korean War. She often spoke fondly of her time in Japan and the people she met, including the time that she was one of very few American guests at a lavish Japanese wedding.

After returning stateside, Dottie worked in the design department for Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan. She then moved to Washington, D.C. in 1956 to join the Department of the Navy. There, she served as executive secretary to Rear Admiral Stroop who was in charge of Naval Operations during the Cuban Missile Crisis-and for whom she was often summoned to the office in the middle of the night via black car to take dictation of Top Secret meetings regarding the crisis in Cuba, which she then transcribed into official documents. Ever poised, she would arrive in her pillbox hat and gloves, handling each moment with calm professionalism.

It was at the Navy Department that Dottie met Joseph Amore, a kind and charming Sicilian engineer who quickly fell for her. After a mix-up on a Navy Department Recreation Club vacation cruise to Nassau-where Joe gallantly gave up his own luxury cabin to Dottie and Helen and sent them flowers-their romance began. Six months later, they were married at St. Stephen's Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.

They settled in Silver Spring, Maryland, and were blessed and surprised with triplet daughters-Andrea, Lisa, and Elizabeth-who became the center of Dottie's world. She poured her heart into motherhood, raising her girls with love, traditions, and the unshakable belief that they could achieve anything.

After moving to Great Falls, Virginia, the Amore home became known for its warmth and open-door hospitality to all. Dottie was a gifted cook, famous for her Italian feasts and annual Epiphany and St. Joseph's Day parties, which filled the house with laughter, friends, and the aromas of her homemade pasta and sauces. Though her kitchen leaned Italian, she also delighted in her Polish roots-serving up pierogi, kielbasa, and golumpki with pride.

Faith was central to Dottie's life. She was a longtime parishioner at St. Catherine of Siena in Great Falls, where she taught religion classes and supported the parish's Latvian Mission. In the mid-1990's, she and her daughter Lisa traveled to Rome for the ordination of Bishop Antons Justs and were personally blessed by Pope John Paul II in a private audience with him-an experience she cherished always.

After Joe's passing in 1993, Dottie later moved to the Richmond area to be closer to her daughter Andrea and her growing family. She became an integral part of their daily lives, first in her own townhouse, and later living with Andrea's family, where she shared endless meals, laughter, travel, and memories with Andrea, husband Bob Clark, and their family.

Dottie adored all four of her grandchildren and delighted in watching them grow up.

She was affectionately known to all as "Grandma Dot"-a title she wore proudly-not just to her own grandchildren, but to three generations of the extended Clark family, whom she embraced as her own.

Dottie's life was a vibrant tapestry woven with love, strength, and style. She was radiant with a big smile, witty, and never one to shy away from a good story or a great party. To those who knew her best, she was "THE Dot"-a woman so special she deserved her own definite article.

She is survived by her daughters Andrea Amore (Bob Clark), Lisa Amore, and Elizabeth Amore-Yingling (Rob Yingling); grandchildren Alexandra and Caden Clark, and Joseph and Cameron Yingling; dear sister Sylvia Sak; and many nieces, nephews, godchildren, and dear friends.

There will never be another Dottie. She will be profoundly missed and forever remembered. Join us in raising a glass of Pinot Grigio (her favorite) in her honor. A Catholic funeral mass and celebration of her beautiful life will be held at a later date, early in the new year.