February 6, 1926 – December 6, 2025
SCARBOROUGH, ME & MEREDITH, NH —- Dorothy ‘Dot’ Iacopucci, 99, passed away on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at Concord Hospital in Concord, NH.
The long and rich legacy of Dorothy began on February 6, 1926, when Dorothy Marie Ross was born in Boston, MA, to her loving parents, Walter J. and Mary Ellen (McCarthy) Ross.
Dorothy was affectionately known as Dot or Dottie to all of her friends and family. Dot lived an incredibly full life, filled with challenges and blessings. Throughout it all she always had a positive attitude and a song in her heart.
Though born in Boston, Dot, spent most of her youth in Somerville, MA. In 1931, the Iacopucci family emigrated from Italy and moved into the home across the street. Dot got to know this family well and attended grammar school with her neighbor, Mario Iacopucci. Together, Dot and Mario, along with other neighborhood kids, would walk to school. In high school, they both worked after school and didn’t have a lot of free time to spend together, but Dottie would wait to walk with Mario when going to work every chance she could.
Mario graduated from Somerville High School in 1943 and soon proudly answered the call from his country to serve in the United States Army. Dottie graduated from Somerville High School in 1944 and was a star member of the Girls’ Glee Club. As written up in The Radiator (the Somerville High Yearbook from 1944), at their Christmas Program, Dorothy Ross sang a solo “with artistic finesse.” It might well be said that this is exactly how Dottie lived her entire life as well.
Several years later, Mario was honorably discharged from the army, and when he returned home to Somerville, he reconnected with his childhood friend, Dot. One night as Mario was at home sitting on his porch, Dot came by and asked him, “Are you lonesome? Would you like some company?” Mario gladly accepted her offer with neither of them knowing at that moment that this companionship would last a lifetime. In 1946, Mario respectfully asked Dot’s parents if he could have her hand in marriage. After Mario proposed, Dot quickly returned the ring she received from the “other fella” (who never had a chance according to Mario), and married Mario in a beautiful ceremony on September 28, 1947.
Dottie and Mario soon left the city and made their home in Reading, Massachusetts where they raised their four children, teaching them the values of being honest, fair, and hardworking. While Mario tended to his family’s grocery store in the North End, Dottie worked various secretarial jobs and was a wonderful homemaker and mother. She was the one who attended her children’s sporting events and concerts cheering them on and encouraging them to follow their dreams. Dot and Mario valued their time together and always made sure they were having fun. After the kids were asleep, they would often dance, have friends over, go tobogganing in the winter, and play badminton in the summer. When asked how they stayed married for 71 years, Dottie replied without hesitation that they “never argued and always had fun.”
Dottie’s gift was singing! She had a beautiful voice and a song in her heart all the time. Any word or phrase you gave her she had a song. She sang for a choir headed by Boston celebrity (and organist for Boston sports teams), John Kiley. Kiley had several radio programs on Boston’s WMEX and Dorothy often sang on the radio with the choir and as a soloist. One of her most beautiful solos was “O Holy Night”, a song which she gladly sang upon request every Christmas season. One singing gig she was most proud of was singing for the troops at a hospital in MA, where one of the soldiers shouted out “You should be in Hollywood!” While she indeed had the talent to sing with the stars, family was most important to her, and she chose a life dedicated to the care of her husband and family.
After a lifetime of hard work and raising a family, Dot and Mario retired. They sold the family home in Reading and bought their retirement cottage at Higgins Beach in Scarborough, ME. Dottie and Mario loved Higgins Beach, a favorite vacation place for the family.
Dottie wasn’t the type to stay still too long. In her 60’s she became a CNA and worked at Bear Hill Nursing Home in Stoneham, MA and later at a nursing home in Maine. Dottie loved caring for people and always had a special spot in her heart for the elderly patients she cared for.
In 1994, Dottie and Mario were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and became active members of the Portland congregation in Cape Elizabeth, ME. They loved their church family and the gospel. From 2000 – 2006, they lived with their son, Michael and his family in Pelham, NH. The lure of Higgins Beach eventually drew them back and they lived out their remaining years together there, enjoying being close to their son, Leo, and having their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and family and friends frequently visit them at their “Haven by the Sea”. Dottie stayed active with her daily walks on the beach and entertaining her grandchildren.
Dot and Mario loved visiting their son Ron and his family in Redondo Beach, CA, especially to escape the New England winters from time to time. The first time they visited CA they drove across country in one of Mario’s beloved Cadillacs and got to see so many of the sights that make up America the Beautiful. They had an especially memorable trip with Ron and his family to Hawaii, where they were allowed to tour the Schofield Army Barracks where Mario was stationed a half century earlier during WWII.
Being a proud American and Patriot, another special memory was a trip that Dot and Mario took to Washington, D.C. where they got to see all of the national monuments, memorials, the Holocaust Museum, and were able to enjoy a special tour of the White House.
One of the biggest highlights of Dot’s life was a wonderful trip she and Mario took to Europe. They toured some of the lands of their ancestors including England, Ireland, Scotland, and Italy. Dottie made sure she kissed the Blarney Stone and took time to look up her Ross ancestry that she was so proud of while there. She was indeed our beautiful wild Irish rose. Dot loved Europe so much that she returned one more time with her daughter Linda and her granddaughters, Jessica and Carina, and enjoyed the beauty of Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland.
As mentioned, Dottie was an avid singer and music lover. It is through her gift and love of music that all of her children were blessed and that musical legacy lives on in her grandchildren. After her beloved Mario passed in 2018, Dottie remained at Higgins Beach for a while but also spent time in the Lakes Region of NH staying on Lake Winnisquam or at Forestview Manor in Meredith, NH, where she serenaded the staff and residents, always bringing a smile. In October, Dot required surgery forcing her to stay at Concord Hospital and later at St. Francis Rehabilitation, where again she charmed the doctors, nurses and caregivers. She carried her caring attitude right up until her passing, encouraging other patients to eat their food and keep a positive attitude. She was always more concerned about everyone around her, including the nurses and caregivers, than herself. Her family is forever grateful to the doctors, nurses, and caregivers at Concord Hospital, Forestview Manor, and St. Francis Rehabilitation for the compassion and care they provided their beloved Matriarch.
Over the last several years of her life Dot battled illnesses and health issues that would routinely send her to the hospital and then to rehab. In every circumstance, it wouldn’t take long for the nursing staff and caregivers to fall in love with her. She was always concerned about their needs and serenaded them routinely with song. She was a pure joy to be around! Amazingly she would always bounce back from every health setback and would soon be back to walking with her purple rollator and spending cherished time with her family and friends. She came to be known as the “comeback queen” to her family and caregivers!
Sadly, though her spirit was strong and she remained ever-joy filled and young at heart, her body was unable to prevent the effects of aging and the toll that 99 energetic years takes on the human body. In typical fashion, on her last trip in the hospital she went out singing “Ain’t She Sweet” to the nurse attending to her, putting a smile on everyone’s faces.
Dottie loved everyone. If she met you, she loved you and everyone who came to know her loved her back. Recently, when asked about herself, she said with a smile, “I’m Irish and I’m beautiful!”
She made a lasting and loving impression on all of her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and all who knew her. Whether you spent a lifetime or a moment with Dot you were blessed to share that time with her. She had a wonderful and well-lived life. She was a beloved daughter and sister, a devoted wife, an incredible mother and a loving Nana to her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Dottie leaves behind her children, Ron Iacopucci and wife Valerie of Redondo Beach, California, Leo Iacopucci and Catherine Lorello-Snow of South Portland, Maine; and Michael Iacopucci and wife Donna of Belmont, NH; sister-in-law, Sylvia Lussier and husband Albert of CT; sister-in-law, Jane Iacopucci of Florida; grandchildren, Jan Marie, Julie and husband Adam, Jessica and husband Daniel, Carina and husband Sam, Chelsey and husband JD, Danny and wife Annie, and Michael; great-grandchildren, Nicholas, Justin, Cameron, Aurora, Iver, Lars, Callum, Orlagh…and her 10th great grandchild coming in January; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and friends.
Her family imagines her reunion with Mario began just as their lifetime together did—with Dot asking, “Are you lonesome? Would you like some company?”
In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her beloved daughter, Linda, and her siblings, Helen, Walter, Charles, and Wallace as well as many other beloved friends and family.
Calling Hours celebrating Dottie’s life will be held on Friday, December 12, 2025, from 5:00pm-7:00pm, in the Carriage House at Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH 03246.
A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at 11:00am, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1242 Old North Main Street, Laconia, NH 03246.
A private burial will be held at Forest City Cemetery, in South Portland, ME.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit wilkinsonbeane.com.
