Dorothy Iacopucci, 99

Dorothy "Dot" Iacopucci, 99, passed away on Dec. 6, 2025, at Concord Hospital in Concord.

The long and rich legacy of Dorothy began on Feb. 6, 1926, when Dorothy Marie Ross was born in Boston, Massachusetts, 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.

Born in Boston, Dot spent most of her youth in Somerville, Massachusetts. 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. In high school Dottie would wait to walk with Mario when going to work every chance she could.

Mario graduated from Somerville High School in 1943, and 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 (Somerville High Yearbook), 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 returned home to Somerville and 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. Dot and Mario married on Sept. 28, 1947.

Dottie and Mario made their home in Reading, Massachusetts, raising 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 attended her children’s sporting events and concerts cheering them on and encouraging them to follow their dreams.

Dottie’s gift was singing. She had a beautiful voice and a song in her heart. Any word you gave her she had a song. She sang for a choir headed by Boston celebrity John Kiley. 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 Massachusetts, where one of the soldiers shouted out, “You should be in Hollywood.”

After a lifetime of hard work and raising a family, Dot and Mario retired and moved to their retirement cottage at lovely Higgins Beach in Scarborough, Maine.

Dottie was never idle. In her 60s she became a CNA, working at nursing homes in Massachusetts and Maine. Dottie loved caring for people and always had a special spot in her heart for her elderly patients.

In 1994, Dottie and Mario were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Portland congregation in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. They loved their church family and the gospel. From 2000 to 2006, they lived with their son Michael, his wife Donna and their family in Pelham. The lure of Higgins Beach drew them back and they lived out their remaining years together, enjoying being close to their son Leo and his sweetheart Catherine, and having family and friends frequently visit them at their “Haven by the Sea.”

Dot and Mario loved visiting their son Ron and wife Valerie and their family in Redondo Beach, California, to sometimes escape the New England winters. 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 had been stationed.

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. Recently, when asked about herself, she said with a smile, “I’m Irish and I’m beautiful.”

Dot loved Europe so much that she returned one more time with her daughter Linda and her granddaughters, Jessica and Carina.

Dottie was an avid singer and music lover. It is through her gift 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 but also spent time in the New Hampshire Lakes Region and Forestview Manor in Meredith, 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 St. Francis Rehabilitation. 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. On her last trip in the hospital, she went out singing “Ain’t She Sweet,” putting a smile on everyone’s faces.

She made a lasting and loving impression on her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all who knew her. She was a beloved daughter and sister, a devoted wife, incredible mother and a loving Nana.

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?”

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; sister-in-law Sylvia Lussier and husband Albert of Connecticut; sister-in-law Jane Iacopucci of Florida; grandchildren Jan Marie Nelson, Julie and Adam Larrabee, Jessica and Daniel Lee, Carina and Sam Lau, Chelsey and JD Ciasulli, Danny and Annie Iacopucci, and Michael Iacopucci; 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.

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.

Visiting hours celebrating Dottie’s life will be held 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12, in the Carriage House at Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1242 Old N. Main St., Laconia.

A private burial will be held in Maine.

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, visit wilkinsonbeane.com.