Dorothy M. Garland

Dorothy M. Garland, 85, known affectionately to many as Dottie peacefully passed away on January 6, 2026. She was born on October 28, 1940, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The daughter of Curtis A. Brown and Delema M. (Clifton) Brown. She had two siblings – a sister Laura and a brother Curtis.

Dottie graduated from John Bartram High School in Southwest Philadelphia in 1960. Her first job was working at Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, in Center City Philadelphia. Her first marriage was to Jon George Lindsey, and they had two daughters Dorothy Bernice born in March 1964 and Nancy Ellen in April 1968. Dottie and Jon moved to Brevard, North Carolina after they had their first daughter and lived there for a few years before relocating to Chester, Vermont. Until their house in North Springfield was built, they lived in Chester where their second daughter was born. While her first marriage ended in divorce she did remarry to David Currier and later to Sherry Garland which also ended in divorce.

While living in North Springfield, Dottie worked as a crossing guard for the North Springfield school, until she got the job at the Springfield Police Department as a Meter Maid. When the town decided to take the meters out, Dottie was promoted to Parking Enforcement Officer. She walked many miles on the beat and wrote many tickets. During rush hour you would see her in the traffic booth running the lights. Dottie made many friends and they got to know her well, many knew her phrase of saying "Good Gravy". When the town cut her job from the budget, she ended up working at Springfield Public Works as a town laborer. Dottie also worked at the Springfield Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Springfield as an aide; she enjoyed bringing snacks to the residents there. Other jobs she worked at included Ben and Jerry's in North Springfield, and a local company that made dog treats.

Dottie enjoyed camping, snowmobiling, skiing, fishing, playing bingo and even skydived once. She enjoyed meeting with friends for lunch at the local McDonald's in town and adored her cat Kitty. She attended the local Advent Christian Church in North Springfield. Additionally, she was a member of The North School Preservation Society. Dottie lived in North Springfield surrounded by her friends and a loving community until November 2020, when she moved to New Jersey to be closer to her daughter, family and grandchildren.

She is survived by her daughter, Dorothy Bernice Panichelli (Joseph) as well as their families, including grandchildren, Nicholas, Marlena, Jordan, Ryan, and nieces and nephew. She was predeceased by her daughter Nancy, her parents Delema, and Curtis, her brother Curtis and her sister Laura.

Her visitation will be held at the Egizi Funeral Home, 119 Ganttown Rd., Turnersville, NJ on January 16, 2026, from 6:00-7:30 pm. Another service will be held later in Springfield, Vermont. There will be a family burial at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Springfield Humane Society, 401 Skitchewaug Trail, Springfield, VT 05156.