Dorothy Florence (Oeste) Whitlock

Dorothy Florence Oeste Whitlock of Needham, Massachusetts, completed her life on December 4, 2018 after a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease.  Friends and family knew her as Dottie, the kind soul with a warm smile, a sharp mind, and an angelic singing voice.

Born in Philadelphia to Florence Langrock Oeste and George Oeste, Dottie was the youngest of three children.  As a little girl, she began piano lessons when she was barely old enough to reach the keys, and she grew into an accomplished musician.  Despite being young for her class, Dottie became the Vice President of her high school orchestra, a member of the National Honor Society, and graduated Olney High School with honors.

Dottie went on to attend Radcliffe College, where she discovered her beautiful soprano voice, and became a frequent soloist with the Radcliffe Choral Society and the Harvard Glee Club.  It was through the Glee Club and a common love of music that Dottie met another singer:  the love of her life, John Whitlock.  She graduated from Radcliffe College (Harvard University) with a major in English literature in the spring of 1968, and was married to John on September 13th, 1969.

Dottie continued her studies in voice with the late Gladys Miller at New England Conservatory of Music.  She was much in demand and sang with the Cantata Singers, the Cambridge Society for Early Music, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and the Boston Cecilia.  Her clear soprano voice brought joy to many, and she was an anchor of any soprano section in which she sang.

Though music was Dottie’s passion, her life’s work was helping others.  In 1974 she received her master’s degree from Boston College in Deafblind Multihandicapped Education.  She applied that knowledge for decades as a special education teacher in the public school systems of Concord and Needham, Massachusetts.  By teaching music classes and serving as an piano accompanist for school choruses, she was able to utilize her considerable musical talents in the classroom.  Dottie further served her community as a volunteer in numerous musical and civic organizations, bringing her sunny disposition with her management skills.

Dottie and John first became parents in 1978, when Sarah was born, and they welcomed their son Thomas into the world eleven years later.  Dottie took joy in raising her own children and instilled in them her  love of the arts and the importance of both education and empathy.  In 1998 at age 51, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.  Always an avid reader, she sought out and consumed as much information about her illness as possible and used that information to fight the disease with the support and love of family and friends.   Over time, as her mind and body deteriorated, she took joy in the company of those she loved and the simple pleasures of music and chocolate.  Dottie will forever be remembered as a jewel of a human being.

She is survived by her husband John L. Whitlock of Needham, her daughter Sarah Katherine of Needham, her son Thomas John of Ontario, California, her sister Ruth (Oeste) Krauss and her husband George Krauss of Lakewood, Colorado, her brother George Oeste and his wife Maria Louisa of Madrid, Spain, and numerous nieces and nephews. 

A memorial service will be held at Noon on Saturday, December 29, 2018, at Christ Lutheran Church, 113 Union Street, Natick, MA. 

Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

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