Dorothy "Dottie" Book

Dorothy "Dottie" Carol Book, 89, of Beaufort, passed away on Thursday, November 27, 2025, at Carteret Health Care in Morehead City. 

Born on November 11, 1936, in Newton, New Jersey, Dorothy lived a full and vibrant life. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from Suffolk College in Boston in 1958. She met the love of her life, Andy Book, in the summer of 1959 when she signed up to take guitar lessons from him. They were engaged by Thanksgiving and married the day after Christmas that year before honeymooning in Cuba.

Dorothy and Andy both became elementary school teachers with one of the highlights being the year they spent teaching English in Colombia, South America, in the early 1960s. Several years later she gave birth to her first child, Adam. She and Andy and their 18-month-old child traveled across Europe together during Andy’s sabbatical year, mainly staying in Spain where one day they met artist Salvador Dali.

Dorothy and Andy settled down in Smithtown, NY, where Dorothy became a stay-at-home mom and they spent their summers taking their children, Adam, Claudia and Evan, sailing on the Long Island Sound aboard their beloved sailboat, the Sea Love. After Andy retired, they relocated to Beaufort, North Carolina, where they enjoyed the serenity of waterfront living for the next 35 years. Dorothy and Andy bought a small motorboat in Beaufort and enjoyed many years of fishing, clamming, and swimming.

Dorothy had a life-long love of cooking. She would start with a published recipe and then reimagine it adding her own touches. Anyone coming over for the holidays for a gathering at the Book house can attest to her extraordinary culinary talents. Dorothy was also an avid gardener, growing a wide variety of vegetables and flowers every summer back in the day. Dorothy also had a keen intellect, inspiring her children to do well in school.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Andy, who passed away in February 2025 at the age of 98, and her son, Evan, who passed away in 2021. She was also preceded in death by her parents, Walter and Emily Wydner, and her sister, Ann Blake. 

She is survived by her sister Helen Martin (Jim), her children Adam Book (Steven Steinberg) and Claudia Gillikin (Tommy Dean Gillikin); her grandchildren Drew Lewis (Jesse) and Christian Gillikin (Katlin); and her great-grandchildren Carlin, Zander, and Charlotte Rae. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

Dorothy’s spirit and legacy will live on in all of those who had the privilege to know her.

Condolences and life tributes may be sent to the family at www.noefs.org

Arrangements by Noe Funeral Service, Inc. of Beaufort, NC.