Dorothea Mae (Dixon) Siff, 98, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, died peacefully at home on the evening of March 18, 2023.
She was born March 14, 1925, in Hudson, New York, to the late Schuyler Averill and Florence Ada (Van Deusen) Dixon. Dorothea was educated first in a one-room schoolhouse and then in Germantown High School. She had the opportunity to attend Hope College in Holland, Michigan during the war years, where she studied early childhood education and sang in the choir. She was blessed with a beautiful singing voice.
During WWII she spent summers working in a pocketbook factory that was converted for the war effort. They made duffel bags and other items the soldiers needed. She also was a nurse’s aide. After college, Dorothea taught school in the McKee, Kentucky area, later moving to Schenectady, New York and teaching in that area.
She married Leonard F. Siff in 1954 and, after a year in the Netherlands, lived in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, where she taught school at Wyckoff Elementary. Later they moved to Darlington, Indiana, and subsequently the countryside of Tippecanoe and Montgomery Counties. Dorothea taught elementary school in the Montgomery County school systems for about 20 years, retiring in 1985. During that time, Dorothea earned a master’s degree in elementary education from Purdue University. She retired to Greenville, South Carolina, to live with her daughter Mary, where she was a volunteer tutor teaching adults to read. Dorothea then lived with her son, Philip, and his family in Virginia, and in 2012 moved to Grace Village in Warsaw, Indiana. Her final years were spent with her daughter, Deborah, and her family in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
Dorothea is survived by sister Marjorie Ethel (Dixon) Eckerson of Greer, South Carolina; daughter Mary Elizabeth Siff; son-in-law Garry Bryan; daughter Deborah J. Smith; son-in-law David W. Smith; son Lt. Col. Philip Schuyler Siff; and daughter-in-law Allison Vry Siff. Also surviving are five grandchildren, Joshua Michael Smith, Thomas Earl Siff, Benjamin James Siff, Nathan Schuyler Siff and Kimberly Pearl Siff.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Schuyler and Florence Dixon; sister Jane Louise (Dixon) Shirk; and former husband Leonard F. Siff.
Dorothea enjoyed her grandchildren, reading, watching birds, doing puzzles and making people laugh. Her quick wit will be greatly missed.
Memorial gatherings will be held at Greenville, South Carolina and Germantown, New York.
Donations can be made in Dorothea’s name to Greenville Literacy Association, 225 S. Pleasantburg Dr. #C10, Greenville, SC 29607 (864-467-3456).
