Dorothy M. (Hoyt) Clay, 90,of Middleton, died Monday, May 16, 2011 at home. She was the wife of the late Benjamin W. Clay, Jr., with whom she shared nearly 65 years of marriage.
Born in Chillicothe, Mo., on Feb. 19, 1921, she was the daughter of the late Kenneth and Ellen Hoyt. She was raised and educated in Lynnfield and was a graduate of Wakefield High School, Class of 1939.
For many years, Mrs. Clay volunteered in the Gift Shop at Beverly Hospital and also worked locally as a home health aide. A loving mother, she had been a foster parent to seven children. She enjoyed traveling, was an avid reader, and especially enjoyed painting.
She is survived by her daughter, Judith Lichenstein and her husband Herbert of Revere; her son, Bradford Clay and his fiancee Milza Drumond of Harvard; a grandson, Carl Lichenstein of Jamaica Plain; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by three siblings, Vernon, Kenneth, and Thelma, and her daughter-in-law, Nancy Schmalz-Clay.
Her funeral service will be Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 11 a.m. in C.R. Lyons & Sons, Funeral Directors, 28 Elm St., Danvers Square. Burial will follow in Forest Hill Cemetery, Lynnfield. Relatives and friends are invited. Visitation will precede the service from 9:30 to 10:45. Following burial, relatives and friends are invited to a funeral luncheon at Spinelli's in Lynnfield. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mrs. Clay's name may be made to the Salvation Army, 25 Shawmut Road, Canton, MA 02021