Dorothy R. (McCartney) Roux, 73, longtime resident of Tewksbury died Monday, Jan. 30., while at home surrounded by family. She was the wife of Eugene L. Roux with whom she was married for the past 53 years.
She was born in Lowell, May 22nd, 1932, daughter of the late Charles E. and Dorothy (McSorley) McCartney. She attended the Lowell school system and graduated from Lowell High School in 1949.
Briefly following her graduation from high school, she worked at Educator Cookie Company in Lowell.
She met Gene Roux and married in 1952 and moved to Tewksbury to raise her family. She would continue to reside and become a permanent member of the Tewksbury community for the next six decades.
She played an integral role with her husband in establishing Tewksbury Sewer Service, starting in 1956. During the formation of the company, she handled all office duties and was the voice that greeted customers. Her husband Gene would drive the truck and service the customers. It was a business they both built that is still in operation today and being run by Gene and their sons.
Dorothy was an enthusiastic supporter of the Tewksbury sports programs because of her sons involvement. She was a fixture at Tewksbury High School and Pop Warner football games and always seemed to be seated at the fifty yard line cheering the Redmen to victory. Her home became a fond gathering spot after all games and she truly enjoyed the people. She always had sandwiches and drinks ready for those who stopped by. No matter where the game was played, she always made it there.
She enjoyed summer visits to Cobbett’s Pond in Windham where her parents had a camp. There were too many fond times at the small camp to list. Sitting on the screened porch with her sister “Bumpsy” and saying hello to the neighbors passing by brought a smile to her face. She also loved to visit her sister Virginia along the river in Amesbury and visit Newburyport and Plum Island.
She would always look forward to her visits with her father. It brought her joy to make him BLT sandwiches and serve him ice cream while he expressed his opinion on politics and the Red Sox. She enjoyed these visits until his death in 2001.
Her home was always open to guests. Christmas night was a favorite event for her to host many from around town. Playing Jeopardy with her son’s friend Bill made her happy. Bill would always make a pot of coffee and drink it before working out in the basement gym. These were times they both enjoyed together. “Dot” became a favorite of the many that worked out in the basement gym or played pool there. As long as people were around, she was happy.
When grandchildren became a part of her life in the mid-seventies it provided her with a new joy. She always enjoyed seeing each of her 13 grandchildren and loved them all. She looked forward to having sleepovers with Danielle and Renè and her grand-nieces Jennie and Jamie. The memories of sleeping bags on the slate floor always made Nana smile.
Birds, especially cardinals, always were a thing of beauty for Dottie. She always had an eye out for what type of bird was in the tree near her home and she would always have the binoculars nearby, just in case a cardinal was near.
In her later years, the thing that brought her the most joy was simply being visited. She would always greet her guests with her memorable “well hello!” and immediately wanted you to stay to chat. She always looked forward to Sunday visits from her youngest grandchildren Cameron and Brady. She would laugh at the site of Cam playing his piano she bought him and Brady singing along with his brother. Recently with the help of her family, she would leave the house to shop, go out to eat and visit her son in New Hampshire as much as possible. Among her favorites were Jade East Fried Rice and fried shrimp.
Besides her husband, Dorothy is survived by her four sons, Charles J., Joseph C., Eugene L. Jr. (Mouse) all of Tewksbury as well as Eric T. of Atkinson, NH. She also is survived by her daughters-in law Linda, Arlene, Carol, and Michelle.
She is also survived by her 13 grandchildren; Michael, Danielle, Nicole, Elizabeth, Joey, Matthew, Rene’, Anthony, Jessie, Christine, Casey, Cameron, and Brady. She also had 6 great-grandchildren; her sisters, Marilyn Wilcox of Lowell and Virginia Nash of Amesbury.
She was also the Godmother to Dottie Anne (Nash) Lightfoot. She will also be missed by her closest companion Toonces, her pet cat. Her Funeral Mass was held Thursday, Feb. 2, in St. William's Church, Tewksbury. Interment was in Tewksbury Cemetery. Memorials to the Pancreatic Cancer Fund, or the Merrimack Valley Hospice, 360 Merrimack St., Bldg 9, Lawrence, MA 01843 will be appreciated.