Obituary of Dorothy Mae Babcock

Dorothy "Dottie" Mae Babcock, 92, passed away on Friday, October 27, 2017 at the Atrium in State College, PA. Dottie was born on May 4, 1925 in Emsworth, PA to Walter and Edna (Petsinger) Floyd. She was the youngest of four children. Dottie is survived by her husband, William "Bill"; their daughters, Carol (Tom) Cosimano of Falls Church, VA, Nancy Babcock of State College, Dottie (Paul) Lloyd of Tempe, AZ; four grandchildren, Valerie Taylor (Robert), Thomas (Jeffery) Cosimano, Matthew Lloyd and Samantha Lloyd; and great-granddaughter, Grace Taylor. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews. In 1943 Dottie graduated from Avonworth High School. She then went on to graduate from Thiel College in Greenville, PA with a major in English. While attending Thiel, she met her future husband, Bill Babcock. During World War II, while Bill was serving overseas in the Merchant Marines, Dottie wrote to him faithfully. They both graduated from Thiel in the spring of 1947 and were married on August 2 of that same year. They had a loving marriage for over 70 years. Dottie began her teaching career teaching English at Fredonia Junior-Senior High School near Greenville, PA. She also served as the Faculty Advisor to both the school paper and the school newspaper. After teaching for five years, Dottie left to raise her family. She and Bill lived in the western Pennsylvania communities of Greenville, Conneaut Lake, and New Wilmington before settling in State College, PA. in 1957. In State College, Dottie was kept busy taking care of their three daughters. She participated in their school activities, led Brownies and Girl Scouts, cheered for them in sporting events, and chauffeured them to music lessons, choir practices, and friend's houses. Dottie also volunteered in a variety of community activities. She was a tireless worker for the State College Woman's Club, serving twice as President and heading up their Thrift Shop. She volunteered in the gift shop and coffee shop of the former Center Community Hospital, now the Mount Nittany Medical Center. She was a library volunteer at both the Centre County Library and St. Paul's Methodist Church, where she was responsible for the re-cataloging and reorganization of the church library. Dottie was also on the planning committee of both the Frazier Street Parking Garage and Lederer Park. She was a member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church where she was active in their Sunshine Circle. Dottie was also well known for her baking skills, especially her Kentucky Butter Cake and apple pies. Later in life, Dottie started to research the Floyd and Babcock genealogy. She spent countless hours in local libraries researching birth and death certificates, wills, and other documents. She and Bill visited and photographed family gravesites in several states. Her efforts resulted in the compilation of volumes of information about the Floyd and Babcock family trees. She traced the Babcock family back to England and their arrival in the Plymouth Colony in 1640. In their retirement years, Dottie and Bill enjoyed traveling. Their ventures took them to Hawaii and Europe and on cruises to Bermuda, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, and along the west coasts of California and Mexico. They spent about fifteen winters in Arizona where they could also enjoy visiting their daughter, Dottie Lloyd, and her family. Dottie will be fondly remembered for being a loving and devoted wife, mother and friend and as a person of integrity and quiet resolution. The family would especially like to express their heartfelt thanks to the entire staff at the Atrium for the wonderful and loving care of their wife and mother during her stay there. Visitation will be held from 6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m on Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St., State College. A celebration of Dottie's life will be announced at a later date. Burial will take place at the Shenango Valley Cemetery in Greenville. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association at: Alzheimer's Association - Greater Pennsylvania Chapter 3544 North Progress Avenue, Suite 205 Harrisburg, PA 17110 or: Online: www.alz.org/pa. Click on "donate" (the Greater PA Chapter) Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at: www.kochfuneralhome.com.