Dolores C. “Dodie” Elcik of Portsmouth, Virginia, died on March 26, 2022, following complications from a stroke.
Born in Brunswick, Maine, on April 26, 1943, Dodie was the ninth of nine children. She graduated from Brunswick High School in 1961 and worked in her beloved paste-up department at The Brunswick Record newspaper. After starting a family and moving to Exeter, New Hampshire, she worked as an Amway and Tupperware dealer before beginning a decades-long career as a cashier for Shaw’s supermarket.
Legend has it that even when other cashiers were open, Dodie’s regular customers would line up at her register, preferring to wait for a chance to laugh with her.
This is often the place where an obituary lists hobbies and interests, but knowing that Dodie adored reruns of The Waltons, cardinals, and lighthouses does not fully capture who she was. Nor does mentioning that she prayed the rosary daily with Mother Angelica, graduated from the Dale Carnegie course, loved chocolate, or delighted in cooking her signature fried chicken and apricot squares.
What defined Dodie most was her kind heart and contagious belly laugh, the way she made family and friends feel deeply loved, and how she made others feel as though her light was shining just for them. Dodie did not merely love lighthouses—she was one.
Dodie spent most of her adult life in Exeter, New Hampshire, before moving to Concord in 2017 and then to Portsmouth, Virginia, in 2021.
She is survived by her daughter Karen Baum and son-in-law Marc Baum of Portsmouth, Virginia; her daughter Catherine Elcik and son-in-law Michael Kelly of Winthrop, Massachusetts; her grandson Ryan Young of Manchester; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.
Dodie was predeceased by her husband, Edward Elcik, and all eight of her siblings.
Visiting hours were held on Thursday, April 7, 2022, at Bennett Funeral Home in Concord, New Hampshire. A Funeral Mass was celebrated on Friday, April 8, 2022, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Concord, followed by a graveside committal service at Blossom Hill Cemetery.
Sources
Obituary published by Woodlawn Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens via Dignity Memorial:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/norfolk-va/dolores-elcik-10659602