Dorothy 'Dot' Pumphrey, 88; Artist, Community Leader

Dorothy I. Pumphrey died peacefully at her home at Fairhaven in Sykesville, Md., on Saturday, June 27, 2015.

Born in Elkridge, on October 30, 1926, Dorothy, known by all as “Dot,” lived most of her life in Howard County. The daughter of G. Norman and Bertha Sewell Iglehart, she grew up on Belmont Estates, where her father was the head groundskeeper and horticulturist. After graduating from Elkridge High School in 1943, she attended the Maryland Institute in Baltimore to study art. World War II and a farmer from Ellicott City, C. Merritt Pumphrey, led her to discontinue her studies to marry in 1945. She and her husband lived and worked on Dalton Farms, now Thunder Hill in Columbia. While dwelling in Howard County for the rest of their 62 years of married life, they raised three children and were very active in the community.

Dot, a devoted wife, mother and homemaker, became very involved in local garden clubs, community causes and events and served in a variety of leadership roles at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ellicott City, including being Senior Warden for many years. She was extraordinarily devoted to St. John’s and to her faith. Since moving to Fairhaven, she had been a member of the chapel choir.

She continued to pursue her passion and talent for art and was often commissioned to create oil landscapes and portraits. One of her proudest achievements came in 2012 when the Maryland Institute College of Art awarded her a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in honor of her lifetime of study. In recent years at Fairhaven, she continued to study and paint and was frequently a featured artist in the community’s art shows.

A most kind, gracious and generous friend, Dot kept and made friends wherever she went.

Her family was the beneficiary of her love and devotion. She will be missed by everyone whose lives she touched.

Dorothy, beloved wife of the late C. Merritt Pumphrey and sister of the late Grace Iglehart Carmichael, is survived by her sister, Bertha Agnes Hohman; her daughter, Sue Carolyn Corbin and her husband Edwin; son, John “Jack” Merritt Pumphrey and his partner Nellie; and, son, Charles Michael Pumphrey and his wife Elizabeth; her grandchildren: Timothy, Christopher, Sean, Abigail, Laura, Gregory, James, David, Logan and Katie: her great grandchildren: Nayev, Brett, Gus, Sylvia, and Ella; and, former daughter-in-law, Karen Pumphrey.

Friends may call at Fairhaven, 7200 Third Ave., Sykesville, on Wednesday, July 1, from 1-3 p.m., and later that day at Slack Funeral Home, P.A., 3871 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City, from 6-8 p.m.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, July 2, at 11 a.m., at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 9120 Frederick Road, Ellicott City, MD 21042. A luncheon, at St. John’s, will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the C. Merritt Pumphrey Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o the Community Foundation of Howard County, 10630 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 315, Columbia MD, 21044 or to St. John’s Episcopal Church.