Dorothy Mae Neary

Dorothy Mae Neary of Attleboro and Onset, Massachusetts peacefully passed away in her sleep on Friday, November 26, 2021, at the age of 89. Her three children were by her side throughout her last illness. Even then, she visibly radiated the goodness for which she will be remembered.
Mrs. Neary was the widow of the late Richard J. Neary to whom she was married for 52 years, and cared for to the end of his life. They had complementary personalities, he more gregarious and she more temperate.
She was born in Manhattan, Kansas on April 30, 1932, the daughter of the late Delbert E. Doss and Gertrude (Coffey) Doss, and grew up and was educated in Madison, WV where she was a 1950 graduate of Scott High School and led the band onto the field as her school's lead Majorette.  After high school she moved to Ogden, Kansas, where she met and married her husband who was a handsome NCO serving in the U.S. Army. They moved to Attleboro where they resided for the rest of their lives. The couple maintained a summer residence in Onset for the past 62 years and affably welcomed guests as the proprietors of the Oak Crest and Anchor Inns.
Mrs. Neary deeply loved and attended to her children and grandchildren, to whom she was always available. Her affection overflowed and she sought to help others by rescuing and giving a second life to dolls and stuffed toys which she personally brought to hospitalized children. Beloved dogs and cats were always a part of her family.
She attended the Centenary United Methodist Church in Attleboro where she was a member of the Church Choir and Dorcas Circle. For almost 40 years she added her sweet soprano to award winning local Barbershop Choirs including Harmonettes and Harmony Heritage.
Even as she was raising her children, Mrs. Neary enjoyed the people she met in her work at the catering company she and her husband owned and operated. You may also remember her as a smiling teller-supervisor of the First Federal Savings Bank of Attleboro. She easily translated those skills to her position as the first face seen at the Miss New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, Delaware and Rhode Island USA and Teen USA (Beauty) Pageants, where for thirty-four years she welcomed arriving guests at the door.
She always rose early to prepare her children for the success they achieved at school but was never too busy to be a paradigm of subtle elegance with hair and makeup "just so," and dressed with modest style and care. She taught by example and raised more than a generation of children with pride in self; and in turn they adored her for the special gifts she had imparted to them.
Mrs. Neary leaves three children: Pamela A. Knight of Attleboro; Richard J. Neary II and his wife, Kelly M. (Langie) Neary, of Manteca, CA; and Deborah N. Miller and her husband, Donald E. Miller, Esquire, of Potomac, MD and Miami, FL; four grandchildren: Thomas R. Knight and his wife, Shannon Knight, of Attleboro; Richard J. Neary III of Virginia Beach; Patrick R. Neary of Virginia Beach; and Emily M. Miller of Potomac, MD; a brother: Delbert Doss of Bradenton, FL; two sisters: Betty Wells of Spotsylvania, VA, and Judy France of Sebring, FL; several nieces and nephews; and her beloved snow white cat, Miss Kitty.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend visitation and Christian service on Saturday, December 11, 2021 from 9:00-11:00 AM in the "Memorial Chapel" of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro.
Burial will follow in North Purchase Cemetery, 825 North Main Street, Attleboro.
For additional information or to send the family a written expression of sympathy, please visit an online guest book at www.dyer-lakefuneralhome.com
Arrangements are under the direction of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleborough. (508) 695-0200