AUGUSTA – Dorothy L. Merrick, 96, passed away on March 29, 2020 in Auburn.

She was born on April 17, 1924 and lived most of her life in Augusta. She was the third of five children of Fred S. and Josephine Miller Merrick. Her older siblings were Floyd and Isabelle, her younger ones Fred Jr. and Benjamin.

She was a lifelong volunteer starting when she was a young child at the Universalist Church, The Girl Reserves at the YMCA and at Cony High School. She started going to the Lithgow Library when she was four taken by her older brother Floyd.

She lived in the Fairfield, Benton Clinton area for many years and was an enthusiastic member of the Benton Station Snowmobile Club and an avid gardener.

In the ’80s Dorothy moved to Portland to be nearer to her adult children and grandchildren. She was a charter member and founder of the Maine Council of Senior Citizens. She was also a volunteer at Preble Street Resource Center and was able to advocate on their behalf as a member of the Grant Committee of Maine Health Access who awarded Preble Street a Grant of $250,000. She was a vocal advocate of the needs of the senior citizens of Maine and was interviewed many times on television, wrote many letters to the editors of Maine newspapers and testified many times in front of the Maine Legislature.

She was a lifelong reader, knitter, Maine traveler, Maine Historian, Geneologist and Scrabble player. Dorothy was a strong supporter and volunteer of The Kennebec Historical society in Augusta for many years.

She also worked at Catholic Charities of Portland as well as a Secretary/Receptionist at the Portland Performing Arts Center for the Portland Stage Group in the ’90s.

She moved back to Augusta into the Margaret Chase Smith House for 11 years. She then moved to The Inn at City Hall where she lived for 13 years. She loved the staff at “the Inn”, who treated her like family, and her many friends there. In her later years she drove herself all over the city of Augusta in her Scooter, including many miles over to Shaws and up to WalMart. As her grands and friends know she was a “terror on wheels”, but determined to be independent as long as possible.

She is survived by her youngest brother, Benjamin Merrick of Auburn; as well as four of her six children, Diana D. Dunn, Deborah G. Dunn, Frank M. Dunn and James Cole.

She was predeceased by her daughter, Josephine Doe in 1993, Michael Porter in 2006 and granddaughter V. Kingsley. She had 11 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

A Remembrance of Life will be held at Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home, One Church Street in Augusta at 1 p.m. on Friday, July 24, to be followed by a graveside service at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Augusta.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the funeral home website at http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com.

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