Esther Dozier

Esther T. (DeCristofaro) Dozier, of Middletown, RI, passed away peacefully at Saint Elizabeth Manor, on July 17, 2019.

Esther was the ninth of ten children born to Vincenzo and Angelina (Venti) DeCristofaro in Quincy, MA. She was predeceased by her husband, Harry L. Dozier, her daughter, Pamela Dozier, her brothers, Columbus, Enrico, Victor, George, Theodore, and James DeCristofaro, and her sisters, Delia Barrett, Nora Dunn, and Julia McHugh.

Esther grew up in Quincy and attended Quincy High School. After graduation, she worked for several newspapers in the Boston area. She briefly served as a code analyst at Ft. Belvoir, VA during World War II. She married Harry, the love of her life, in 1946 and became a Navy wife, moving around the country while raising her three children. Eventually they settled in Middletown, RI where Esther was active in the Middletown PTA, the Girl Scouts, and was named Navy Wife of the Year during her tenure as president of the Newport Navy Wives Club. She wrote the Port N Starboard column for the Newport Daily News for many years. During all this time Esther knit infant clothing for Navy Relief and later for Newport Hospital. She was a Welcome Wagon Lady and, as a member of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, received their Woman of the Year award. After her husbands death in 1979, she began working at the Hammersmith Farm gift shop and volunteering at the Newport Hospital gift shop. Esther served for 33 years on the Peoples Credit Union Board of Directors as their first woman board member. She thrived on keeping busy throughout her long life, and it was difficult for her to slow down in her later years.

Esther is survived by her children, Denise Towers (husband, Russell) and Harry Dozier (wife, Margaret), her grandchildren, Elizabeth Salafia (husband, Brett) , Jeffrey Moniz, Scott Dozier, Gregory Moniz, and Victoria Dozier, and her great grandchildren Adele Salafia, Robert Salafia, Ashton Arruda, and Audrey Arruda, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Calling hours for close friends and family will be Friday, July 26, 2019 from 11:00-12:00 at Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, followed immediately by a brief graveside service at St. Columba Cemetery, Browns Lane, Middletown.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Saint Elizabeth Manor, 1 Dawn Hill Road, Bristol, RI, 02809, or to Hope Hospice and Palliative Care, 1085 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02904. A special thank you to these organizations for providing extraordinary and compassionate care during her final days.