Dorothy I. Abbott

Orient sculptor Dorothy I. Abbott died peacefully at her home on Nov. 21 from Parkinson’s disease. 

Dorothy was born April 19, 1932, in Thibadaux, La., to Doris and Argyle C. Abbott.

As a child, Dorothy summered with her family in Jamesport, where she gained a deep appreciation for fishing and sailing the Long Island waters. Dorothy studied at the Art Students League and, later, at Teacher’s College Columbia University, where she received her master’s in art education.

After teaching art in Lawrence, Long Island, public schools, Dorothy moved full time to the North Fork to dedicate her life to making sculpture. She first renovated her home in East Marion and later moved to Orient in 1983, where she built her sculpture studio.

For nearly 20 years, Dorothy divided her time between Italy and the North Fork, where she would go to carve marble from the foothills of the Apennine Mountains and cast her bronze sculpture. Dorothy’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums here and abroad, with exhibitions at galleries in New York City and the North and South forks, including at Guild Hall.

In 2010, Dorothy donated her 600-pound marble sculpture, Aurora, to Eastern Long Island Hospital, where it is permanently installed in the lobby. Carved in Italy, the sculpture resonates with a wave-like design, with shades of pink and grey.

Dorothy lived life to its fullest; a lover of dogs, an avid fisherwoman, often casting for blues and bass on Long Island Sound, a snorkeler and diver in the Caribbean and the Florida Keys, and a cook renowned to friends and family. She is survived by the love of her life and partner of 32 years, Lucy Steele; her brother, Argyle Jr., of Gainesville, Fla.; and nieces Allison and Leah.

Donations can be made in Dorothy’s memory to the Parkinson’s Research Foundation, http://parkinsonhope.org/.

This is a paid notice.