Dorothy (Dottie) Claire (Tremayne) Kelly

With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Dorothy (Dottie) C. Kelly, of Dover, who went to be with the Lord on Saturday, October 11, 2025. She lived a life marked by humor, creativity, and a deep devotion to her family. 

Dottie was born on February 20, 1933 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa to the late Charles Theodore and Clara (Sturdevant) Tremayne. She graduated from Williamsport High School in Williamsport, Pa.

In 1969 Dottie married her loving husband of 35 years, Emerson James (Jim) Kelly . She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Lucy J. Durney, and her husband Jim Kelly.

Throughout her life, Dottie was involved with her community, sewing costumes for local theater productions, singing on stage, and performing as a clown in many parades. She was a member of Three Stones Church in Dover, DE and she was heavily involved with The Front Porch at Modern Maturity for the past 10 years. Dottie worked at Playtex and DelDOT in bridge design, road design, and financial management. 

Dottie was the proud and loving mother to her children – Ted Jarrell and Kim Provo – and her stepchildren – Chris Kelly, Stella Quinn, and Phyllis Moses. She spent decades preparing beautiful family meals, and she brought together many generations to enjoy her Christmas tree and village. Her home was always warm and open to friends and family, as well as the dogs and cats she dearly loved throughout her lifetime. 

At the time of her passing, Dottie was a cherished grandmother to 9 grandchildren – Brian Hickman, Natalie Newsome, Jody Dallas, Tracy Kelly, Mattew Jarrell, Krista Jarrell, Victoria Kelly, Ashley Swanson, Christian Quinn, and Julia Provo – who remember fondly tossing oranges in the kitchen before breakfast and decorating intricate sugar cookies every Christmas, among many other happy memories. 

Services to honor Dottie’s life will be held on Saturday, October 18th at Pippin Funeral Home. Viewing will be held from 12-1pm. Funeral service will be at 1pm followed by burial at Christ Episcopal Church in Dover, DE.

The family requests contributions be given in Dottie’s memory to Three Stones Church, 1476 E. Lebanon Road, Dover, DE 19901.

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