Dorothy V. Garstang

Dorothy “Dodie” (Nagy) Garstang, 65, of Southington, passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her family on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 after a courageous battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Dodie was the loving wife of James D. Garstang for over 40 years and a proud mother, adoring “Grammy,” beloved daughter, sister and friend.

Born on November 13, 1955 in Budapest, Hungary to Veronica (Riesz) Nagy and the late Louis Nagy, she immigrated to the United States with her family in 1957 during the Hungarian Revolution.

From a young age on the slopes of Mt. Southington, Dodie developed a lifelong love for skiing. At the age of 18, she became a certified ski instructor and ventured North for bigger mountains. As a ski instructor in Killington, VT, Dodie met Jim. They were married on September 13, 1980 at Mt. Snow and moved back to Connecticut to start their family. Dodie shared her love for skiing with her family and left her mark on Mt. Southington through her years on the slopes and teaching at the ski school.

Dodie worked as a hairdresser for over 45 years. She started her career doing hair out of her house and eventually moved to Lucinda’s Hair in Cheshire. She then spent the majority of her career at Fashion Conscious in Milldale before retiring last year, her loyal client base following her along the way. She cherished her time with her clients who were her friends, whether doing their hair for everyday or styling them for special occasions like weddings.

She was an active member at Mary Our Queen Church, involved in numerous fundraisers, groups and activities within the church community, most notably her commitment to organizing the annual Valentine’s Day Dance. She was always involved in her kid’s school activities, whether it be volunteering as a Boy Scout leader, member of the PTO or cheering on the sidelines of their sporting events.

In addition to her husband Jim and her mother Veronica, Dorothy is survived by her son AJ Garstang and his wife Rosie of Cheshire and her daughter, Grace Richardson and her husband Blair of Oxford and 5 cherished grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, Andy Nagy and his wife Anne Marie of Southington, her niece Alexis Yanosy and her husband Dave of Southington, nephew, Ryan Nagy of Boston and her extended Hungarian family.

Dodie was very creative, this showed through the hair she did, her paintings, and other projects like Advent wreath making, decorating, and so much more. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dodie’s memory may be made to Southington Community Cultural Arts https://southingtonarts.org/index.php/about-us/make-donation or Southington Bread for Life, which Jim & Dodie support to and will continue to support in the years to come. https://southingtonbreadforlife.org/donate-online/

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at Mary Our Queen Church, 248 Savage St, Plantsville. This can be live streamed by visiting the Mary Our Queen Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Mary-Our-Queen-Church-123237757734390/). A graveside service will follow at 11:00 a.m. at St. Thomas Cemetery, 209 Belleview Ave, Southington. Face coverings and social distancing are required at all times. A celebration of Dodie’s life will be announced for a date later this year when it is safe to gather. Plantsville Funeral Home has been entrusted with handling the arrangements. For online condolences, please visit www.plantsvillefuneralhome.com.