Dorothy (née Whitney) Corwin, a Southampton resident for more than 57 years, died on May 21 at a hospice in Jacksonville, Florida. Known to friends as “Dot,” she was 81.
Born an identical twin with her sister Carol Whitney, on December 16, 1928, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Colonel J. Theodore and Grace Whitney, she grew up in Wakefield, Massachusetts. When she was 16 she moved with her family to Washington, D.C.
She completed her high school years at Calvin Coolidge High School and went on to Bradford College, where she received her bachelor’s degree. She earned another bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. It was at Columbia that met her future husband, Don Corwin. Following college she and Mr. Corwin, an optometrist, settled in his hometown of Southampton. She worked at Brookhaven National Lab as an occupational therapist, until she volunteered to start a nursery school in the First Presbyterian Church in Southampton.
She was a Girl Scout leader, a teacher and a Sunday School superintendent. She took great pleasure in being involved in the First Presbyterian Church of Southampton where she was a faithful member, leader and Bible moderator of the church circles. In addition, she served on the visitation committee, enjoyed the Mariners group, and helped with the Christmas Bazaar. Volunteering at the Rogers Memorial Library and Southampton Historical Museum sparked her interest, as did many hobbies and handwork.
Mr. and Mrs. Corwin had four children. Despite her career as an occupational therapist and working with Mr. Corwin in the optometry office, she was a mom first and foremost and considered it her most important calling in life, family recalled; she empowered independence in her children, and also kept a close knit family after they left home.
Entertaining was one of her passions. Family said she loved to cook and entertain friends, and enjoyed spur-of-the-moment dinners with company—the more the merrier she would say. She was a great “matchmaker,” always helping people to match up their needs (jobs, housing) with other’s services. An accomplished pianist and violin player, she loved classical music, flower gardens and reading historical biographies, The New York Times, and many varied publications. She loved to travel and visited many tropical islands with her husband. Each year, Mr. and Mrs. Corwin vacationed with their Grand Cayman Victoria House “family” and the people she met at Carimar in Anguilla.
Mrs. Corwith also loved children. She was a “mom” to many, from the children in pre-school at church to the Rotary exchange students she hosted. According to survivors, her mission in life was to help people and she tried to be a friend to everyone she met. But the one thing she enjoyed most in recent years was corresponding with her many friends via phone calls, cards and letters. Family said that in a note found among her papers, she wrote “believe in the emotional value of written communication and the difference it makes in people’s lives.” She wrote all her letters by hand, and took pleasure in pretty stationery and colorful stamps—in her youth, she was an avid stamp and coin collector.
According to the family, she was humbled by the love and care given to her by nurses, doctors, family and friends and wanted them to realize she had a need for people and a need to be generous. She loved to give presents and found her heart in nature and animals. In recent years she found great comfort in her furry canine companion, Jazzy.
She is survived by a sister, Carol Warner and her husband Dr. Robert Warner of Pennsylvania; a daughter, Susan Corwin Mitchell and her husband Chuck Mitchell of Florida; two sons, James Whitney Corwin and Raymond Richard Corwin, both of Florida; a granddaughter, Kathleen Kayner Mitchell; and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her husband, Don Corwin, and a daughter, Carol Diane Corwin,
As per Mrs. Corwin’s request, no funeral services will be held. The family will have a memorial celebration of her life on Tuesday, July 13, at 11 a.m., at the First Presbyterian Church of Southampton.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Southampton Historical Society, P.O. Box 303, Southampton, NY 11969; the Rogers Memorial Library, 91 Coopers Farm Road, Southampton, NY 11968; the First Presbyterian Church of Southampton, 2 South Main Street, Southampton, NY 11968; or any charity of choice for animals or nature preservation would be appreciated by the family. Also an advocate for organ donation, Mrs. Corwin hoped that others would register to be an organ donor.
on May 26, 2010