Obituary of Dorothy May Baldwin
Dorothy Baldwin—born Dorothy May Pearson Sept 1, 1919, in Halifax, Nova Scotia—family builder, devoted wife, loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.
Dorothy died peacefully on July 25th, 2021, weeks short of her 102nd birthday. Daughter of Richard and Jennie Pearson and sister to Bernard Pearson and Beverley Read. Wife to John R. Baldwin, she was devoted to her family’s well-being with rarely any consideration for herself. She is survived by her three sons John, Richard, and Blair, her grandchildren Jane, John Brian, Juliet, Kate, Keira, Pearson, Reilly, and Robyn. She also has six great-grandchildren, Alora, Alden, Anna, Lara, Karina, and Ryland and she is much loved by her daughters in law—Adrianne, Kristin, and Annie.
Dorsey, as she was fondly called by her grandkids, was born within days of the ship explosion in Halifax. She was one of the first employees of Trans Canada Airline (TCA). Her parents settled in Ottawa where Dorothy grew up on Belmont Avenue in Ottawa South. Dorothy attended Hopewell Avenue Public School and Glebe Collegiate before commencing her career at TCA. Dorothy met her future husband John during World War II. Dorothy was seconded by TCA to government service as an Air Priority Officer when she met John, who was working in the Privy Council Office for the War Committee of the Canadian Cabinet. Within ten days they were married and over 60 years of marriage followed. Dorsey managed the household of three boys with a strong hand. She never told her boys what to do in life, but she did tell them how to do it. She emphasized to them the importance of academic excellence, sportsmanship and ethical behaviour. She was an enthusiastic supporter of her sons’ baseball, football, basketball, hockey, skiing and track activities, as well as an avid fan of the Ottawa Roughriders and the Toronto Blue Jays. Dorothy and John travelled extensively across Canada and around the world where they developed lasting friendships.
As her boys grew up and raised families in Ontario and British Columbia, she readily welcomed them home with love and gourmet cooking. She enjoyed shepherding her grandchildren on trips abroad, weekends at the family cottage, and excursions around Kingston. She also welcomed several generations of Queen’s students to her home and provided food, love and a quiet place to study.
In her senior years, Dorothy was proud to provide volunteer service in the archives of the Anglican Diocese of Kingston.
In her last year, her memory of her adventures in life was still sharp and she enjoyed each day, grateful for every moment. She always felt that she had been blessed to live in Canada.
Dorothy was known for her infectious charm, her solid integrity and her deep commitment to liberal values. We love you Dorsey and without a doubt “you will be smiling” as you are reunited with Dad.
All our thanks to the Revera staff at St. Lawrence Place Retirement Home in Kingston for their love and devotion to Dorothy over her seven years there, especially the close attention and affection shown to her over the last month of her life.
