Dorothy June (Sargent) Gladd

Dorothy was born in New York City in 1920 to Charles Cleveland and Florence Clouse. She was raised in Mt. Vernon; although an only child, she was surrounded by a large extended family.

She grew up studying dance in NYC. In 1938, after high school graduation, she went on tour with a dance company through the South Pacific and Australia. The ship had to return early when war was a threat. In 1943, she married her high school sweetheart, John E. Sargent Sr. In 1945, she relocated to Saranac Lake where John was curing, after a diagnosis of TB. In 1953, John died at the age of 34.

A loving mother, she now became an early role model for working women. She remained on Margaret Street in Saranac Lake. With no family nearby, Dorothy raised her 6 young children with the support of a caring community. Likewise, she became a supportive part of the community. When her Sargent School of Dance held the annual recital, proceeds went to the Ladies of the Elks. Dottie made costumes for students, as well as her own children. She did choreography and costumes for the men’s “rockette” dance in the Winter Carnival’s Rotary Show. Her talents were also used in local summer theater productions.

She enjoyed knitting, bowling, playing bridge, learning to upholster and cane her own chairs and spending time with her children at their state camp on Second Pond.

Dottie also worked as a waitress at the Blue Gentian and at Little Joe’s Cocktail Lounge. Later she worked at St. Pius X as a physical education instructor. She also was a cafeteria monitor at SLHS. In 1965 she married “Little Joe” Gladd, enjoying 50 years of marriage that included 25 years of retirement in Largo, Florida, with summers in Rainbow Lake. They moved to Middletown, Connecticut in 2014.

She is survived by her six children: Diane Griffin, Rainbow Lake, Nancy Bennett, Denver, Colorado, Mary (Robert) Spooner, Middletown, Connecticut, Peggy (John “Bumper”) Chapple, Homer, Alaska, Virginia (Nick) Volkman, Sedona, Arizona and John (Susan Dargan), Eliot, Maine. She also leaves 16 grandchildren and 33 great grandchildren. Dorothy was devoted to her family and leaves a legacy of unconditional love, integrity and quiet strength.

She was predeceased by Joe in 2015, her son-in-law Robert Griffin and a great-grandson, Radley Chapple.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Church of the Assumption, Gabriels.

In memory of Dorothy, please consider a donation to the Saranac Lake Free Library.