Charlotte Dickerson of Mattituck was called home peacefully to our Lord on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. She was 90 years old.
Born in 1933 to Catherine (Grochowski) and Frank Wolgo on her family’s small Mattituck farm, she was the youngest of four. She held dear the value of family, her Polish heritage, her Catholic faith, her classmates and neighbors throughout her entire life. It was from this platform for which she would live her life, serve her community and retain lifelong friendships.
After graduating from Mattituck, she received a degree in teaching elementary education from New Paltz College. The following weekend in June of 1955 she married the love of her life of 65 years, Allan “Tuffy” Dickerson in Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Mattituck. They met when he moved from Southold to Mattituck, and graduated just before her. She taught second grade in Riverhead Roanoke School, and devoted her life with him in raising their four children. Donating her time and talent to school fundraisers, Mattituck Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary and arranging family camping trips near and far while always welcoming family and friends to the table to share a meal. She loved continuing education classes, travel here and overseas, was a longtime member of North Fork Country Club and the women’s 18 hole golf group. She was a Columbiette, and a member of a women’s at-home retreat prayer group for 50-plus years.
She returned to teaching in the classroom both in Lamb’s Gate Nursery School (Southold) and kindergarten in Sacred Heart School (Cutchogue). She was a gifted teacher to all her students, even helping with religious faith formation classes into her 70s and 80s, and could always be seen on the sidelines of her grandchildren’s school functions and sporting events. Prior to COVID, Charlotte could be seen at the OLGC doors of Sunday Mass as a greeter, with her beautiful smile and kind words to welcome everyone in.
She will be truly missed for her charm, zest for life, great sense of humor, keen eye to detail and style, her cooking, and her love of faith, friends and family. She is survived by her four children: Bruce, Jim, Tom and Patti (Homan), and their spouses Katie, Carol, Cathie and Ken; her 13 grandchildren: Nicholas, Julianne, Kyle, Betsy, Kesley, Brianne, Cody, Jennifer, Rachel, Callie, Graham, Jackie and Joe; 10 great-grandchildren; and her nephews Philip Gatz and Richard Paulos. She was predeceased by her siblings, Frank Wolgo Jr., Frances “Tootsie” Gatz and Dorothy Paulos. Charlotte’s family is very grateful to the DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck and Father Mike Bartholomew at Sacred Heart Parish in helping with her arrangements and funeral, which was held in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. Thank you also to all those who attended, donated flowers, cards, food and memorials in her name. She was interred in her family plot at Sacred Heart Cemetery.
Memorial donations may still be made to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital and to Sacred Heart Parish in her name.
This is a paid notice.