Dorothy D. Monroe

Dorothy D Monroe, July 15, 1930 – December 23, 2021. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota to an army family, she traveled the country to her father’s different posts. Graduated Marlborough School in Los Angeles 1948, where her love of ballet flourished under the tutorship of choreographer and teacher Ernest Belcher. Graduated Vassar College,1952, majoring in Drama. Summer work brought her to Deertrees Theatre in Harrison, Maine. During this time, she met her future husband, Parker L. Monroe II, whose sister was her classmate and member of the company. Their wedding was on June 28, 1953 on Governor’s Island, New York, her favorite military base home. The couple started their married life in the Panama Canal Zone, where Parker did his military service. They moved to Brookline, MA followed by Hingham, MA as their family grew. Her appreciation of beauty evolved as she studied the history of decorative arts and architecture under Marjorie Drake Ross. Working as an independent decorative arts consultant and interior designer, she oversaw projects such as the restoration of the Senate reception room in the Boston State House, served as editor for Nancy Smith Appraisal Associates, and donated her time and expertise to local historical preservation societies. Supreme maker of pie crusts, crème caramel and Christmas coffee cake, accomplished letter writer, thrift store volunteer, voracious reader of fine literature, she loved Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, William Morris designs, travel, movies, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Laurence Olivier, art museums, small children, Vinho Verde, tea, cats, lavender, and stories around the dining room table. She and her husband could be seen walking daily through downtown Hingham to the Fruit Center. Her elegance, sensitivity, cheerful humor, and gentle, thoughtful, generous spirit will be missed.

She is survived by Melissa Monroe and Joel Rotenberg of NYC, Parker E. Monroe II and Dr. Teresa Darragh of Oakland, CA, Rebecca C. Monroe of NYC and granddaughter Mercedes Monroe Jackson of Washington, DC. Memorial donations can be made to the SPNEA, Hingham Historical Society, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, or any ballet or animal rescue shelter of your choice.