Mary Dorsey Boatwright

1947 - 2021

Stonington - Mary Dorsey Boatwright, 73, died of cancer Jan. 12, 2021, in Barcelona, Spain. Born Sept. 20, 1947, in Portsmouth, Va., the first child of Mary "Billy" Howard Boatwright and Victor "Boat" Taliaferro Boatwright.

"Dorsey" spent most of her youth in Stonington. She graduated from Pine Point School in 1961, rounding out academic excellence with field hockey skills and cheerleading. After two years at The MacDuffie School in Springfield, Mass., she finished high school in 1965 at The Williams Memorial Institute (now Williams School) in New London. Deemed "one of WMI's early collegiates", Dorsey was permitted to study European history at Connecticut College. She also served WMI's Honor Society, the Student Council (no surprise, given Billy's position as state legislator), and various publications. A poet, Dorsey developed a lifelong love of words and their power. While attending Vassar (1965-69) she spent her junior year studying in Spain, witnessing student protests against Franco's regime. It was there she met the love of her life, Enrique Ucelay-Da Cal, another American student studying abroad. After earning a Master of Arts in Spanish at Harvard, Dorsey taught for a short time at Choate Rosemary Hall, and she continued to write and edit throughout her life. In 1972 she moved permanently to Barcelona. Her job in the petrochemical industry included travel throughout Europe. Her Spanish firm's mutations included brief ownership by Monsanto, sparking family jokes about the wisdom of crossing the Big Pond only to end up working for one of Stonington's last manufacturing industries.

But that crossing was no obstacle to Dorsey. She was a constant positive presence in her family's and friends' lives. In 1983 she returned to our Stonington house to marry Enrique, who is now emeritus professor of Contemporary History at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. Dorsey and Enrique hosted us frequently and generously in Barcelona, and they made sure to come back for family celebrations, grave illnesses, and commemorations.

Dorsey was predeceased by her father Boat (1998); mother Billy (2002); brother Bill (2015); and brother Jack (2018). Dorsey leaves to cherish her memory her husband Enrique; her sister Tolly Boatwright of Durham, N.C.; her cousins, nephews, nieces, and in-laws, Betty and Charlotte Crowley, Sarah Crowley Wiley; Paul and Sammy Feldblum, Joseph, Amelia, and Isaac Owens-Feldblum; Louisa and Victoria Boatwright; Tia Lombardi, Phoebe Boatwright, Charlie and Ellen Huynh-Boatwright; and numerous friends.

The pandemic postpones plans for a memorial service. Gifts in Dorsey's memory may be sent to Stonington Historical Society Lighthouse Museum Campaign, PO Box 103, Stonington, CT 06378. Dorsey loved the Lighthouse, and its historic radiance reflects her bright light for us all.