Dorothy "Dottie" Burnham

Dorothy “Dottie” L. Burnham of Humarock, Massachusetts, passed away on Friday May 12, 2023, at the age of 94. She passed away peacefully with her sons David and Rick by her side. Dottie had a long, fulfilling life. She was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, to the late Thomas and Ruby (Leard) Hughes. After graduating from Brookline High School, she met her husband, Dave Burnham, Jr., and started her career as a secretary at New England Mutual Life Insurance in Boston. When their two sons were born, she became a stay-at-home mother. Dottie and Dave raised their family in Walpole, Massachusetts, and eventually moved to Humarock to enjoy summers at the ocean. In the winters, they were snowbirds living in Naples, Florida. Dottie always found the best places to live and had a great love of the ocean. She was a devoted mother and wife who focused all of her efforts on her family. When their children got a little older, Dottie and Dave started their own business, Norwood Nursery and Greenhouses. Since it was a family business, the whole family spent much of their time there. It was here that Dottie helped with the day-to-day details of the business: bookkeeping, payroll, bills, etc. She went to school to learn how to arrange flowers and began to create floral bouquets for all occasions. She enjoyed the creative aspect of being a floral designer and was very good at it. After 30 years of running this successful business, Dottie and Dave retired and split their time between Humarock and Naples. They also traveled to many of the Caribbean islands and saw most of the U.S. Dottie loved her family, cats and golden retriever, Molly. She enjoyed the company of her friends, especially her bridge group in Walpole and her neighbors in Humarock and Naples. Dottie is survived by her two sons, David Burnham III and Rick Burnham and his wife Martha, as well as her three grandsons, Randy, Jack and Scott. She is predeceased by her husband David Burnham, Jr., sister Barbara Mazzapica, brother Thomas Hughes, and daughter-in-law Laurie Burnham. Memorial services will be private. Donations in Dottie’s memory may be made to SeniorCare in Gloucester, Massachusetts (www.seniorcareinc.org).