Dorothy Hope Stivers
May 17, 1932-March 11, 2025
Atherton, California

Dorothy (Dottie) Hope Stivers, 92, passed away peacefully at home on March 11, 2025. Dottie is survived by her loving daughters, Katie, Sarah (Tom) and Hope, and grandchildren Zachary and Teresa (Ahmad). She was preceded in death by her husband Edward (1972), son Chris (2015), brother Ted Garfield (2020), sister Louise Muranko (2004), brother-in-law Norman Stivers (2021), and her parents Edward and Hope (nee Dillingham) Garfield.

Dottie was born May 17, 1932, in Bratenahl (Cleveland), Ohio. She graduated from Laurel School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and received her Masters Degree in Chemistry from Wellesley College in 1955. She met her husband, Ed, at Arthur D. Little in Boston, and they were married November 26, 1960 in Cleveland. Ed and Dottie ventured west to Atherton in 1961 to be part of a new startup company, Raychem, and they were extremely happy in their new California home.

Tragedy struck in 1972 when Ed was killed in a plane crash while traveling on Raychem business. The Stivers and Raychem families rallied around Dottie and her children. At the age of 40, Dottie devoted the rest of her life to raising four children on her own, with the help of family and friends. Always brave, throughout the years she took her four children on amazing family adventures and several cross-country road trips with the extended family. Annual trips to her timeshare in Cancun and Stivers family reunions in Belize and Costa Rica are also treasured memories.

Anyone who knew Dottie knew she was a huge fan of jigsaw puzzles. Other pastimes included family game time, crossword puzzles, and other word and number games. Throughout her children’s school years, Dottie was an active PTA, club, and community volunteer. She enjoyed being involved with her children’s diving team, attending musicals, and playing tennis and bridge with friends.

As an empty-nester she became an Enrolled Agent preparing income taxes, and enjoyed more tennis, walking, and travel; travel highlights include Australia, European river cruises, the Galapagos Islands, and Machu Picchu. She discovered the fitness club Curves and made several close friends there. She delighted in dining, wine-tasting, and Lamplighters (a semi-professional musical theatre company) performances with the “Tennis Ladies”, “Curves Gals”, and “Gang of Nine”.

Tragedy struck again in 2015 with the death of her son, Chris. With all three of her daughters nearby, she once again persevered. Her daughters picked up her love of jigsaw puzzles; when together it was a cherished activity through the remainder of her life.

Dottie lived a long, very full life, and her smile and laugh will be remembered by many.

Tags: arts/media, public service