Scottsville NY: Age 69, passed peacefully on May 15, 2016 in her Scottsville home after an extended illness. Dilly was raised in Geneva, NY by her mother, Mary Alice Whitaker and she graduated from Geneva High School in 1964. After schooling within the SUNY system, her nursing career included employment at Strong Memorial, F.F. Thompson, and the Sisters of St. Joseph Infirmary. In addition to her professional skills, she was never at a loss for suggestions of “home” remedies which had a surprising success rate for any number of maladies. Dilly was a passionate advocate for the welfare of both people and animals, often opening her home as a source of shelter.
After bringing her invalid mother home from AZ, Dilly tenderly cared for her until her passing in 2001. Both Dilly and her mom enjoyed gatherings in the Scottsville kitchen, surrounded by friends, where there was always an abundance of food, singing, and laughter. Sometimes favorite Aunt “Kippy” delighted all with tales of farm and family life in Penn Yan. And Mary Alice loved sharing stories about Linda’s childhood and her own teaching experiences in the one-room schoolhouse.
Devoted and beloved “son” Eric (Melissa) Raffel & family, along with many friends—both human and animal—will miss her dearly. We love you, Dill!
A Celebration of Life will be held at 6:00 P.M. on Wednesday, May 25th at Spritus Christi Church, 121 North Fitzhugh St., Rochester, NY 14614.
Please consider donations in Dilly’s memory to Hearthside Cat Shelter, POB #282, Geneseo, NY 14454.
So many fun memories of times with Dilly. What a loving person. Your time on earth was very special to so many. We hope to see you next time around.
I’ll always remember the fun spontaneous kitchen parties and your love of animals dill. Taking your goat baby in the front seat of your pick up for ice cream is right up there.
Rest in peace.
I miss you dearly and wish I knew when you were so sick. I wasn’t even told about your memorial service. You were a wonderful friend who taught me a lot about this challenging world. I will always appreciate and love you and will hope that we will meet again.