A woman of substance

We didn't know what to think of each other when we first met 21 years ago. We were from two different worlds, but over the next decade, Dorothy Millett and I would find common ground - at the kitchen table.

I was a boisterous and an opinionated young man who didn't mind speaking his mind. Dorothy Millett was a 67-year-old widow who didn't say much over the phone whenever I called to speak with Terri. She was abrupt, and I felt short-changed because our conversations amounted to just a few words - and she was about to become my mother-in-law.

It wasn't until our numerous lunch dates in Dot's kitchen was when I really got to know this extraordinary woman, who could take whatever was left in the hallway pantry and turn it into a gourmet meal.

I knew she wasn't sure who the heck this guy from the Boston area was and whether his intentions to marry her daughter were honorable and true.

I just thought she didn't like me!

And yet, despite a few rounds of haggling over our wedding plans, Dorothy Millett and I eventually stopped eye-balling each other and grew to like and then love each other despite our differences.

But Dorothy and I were united by a common interest - our love for Terri, who made us both feel special because she is such a special person.

And I came to appreciate her Yankee ingenuity in the kitchen and her old-fashioned horse sense when it came to life's problems. She knew how to simplify life's curve balls in a world that has a knack for complicating everything. She was, in my opinion, a leading authority on common sense. She, along with my mother, became my inspirations in the kitchen, too.

Of course, Dot's culinary talents went a long way to winning me over and making me feel right at home in her humble abode. She knew the fastest way to reaching me was through my stomach, and as a growing young man, who could say no to her culinary delights.

I often told her that we should open "Dot's Kitchen,' and added we could make a fortune because she was such a genius with the average recipe.

A free meal at Dot's dining room was like hitting the lottery or winning Sox tickets to a game on hot August day at Fenway Park.

But what was really remarkable about this woman, who had the stamina of a 40 year old and whose mind was still sharp, was that she had the nerve to adopt a child in her 50s and raise her in a safe and loving household without any fanfare.

And while she was bringing up Terri, this unselfish, civic-minded woman, who was also active in her church, still found time to improve other people's lives in her community.

I have had nothing but respect for Dorothy Millett, who always asked for my mother and father and took a vested interest in my son.

She was one of those human beings who played a huge role in the lives of two people trying to find their way in the world.

I will miss her, and her absence means life will never be the same for Terri and me, and that is why Dorothy Millett's passing is such a huge loss to her family and friends.

Dorothy's death, while not unexpected, has nonetheless left us all feeling empty.

I will miss Dorothy Millett for a number of reasons.

I offer the Millett family this written tribute to a woman whose common sense and integrity were beyond reproach.

My deepest condolences to all who knew this fine woman.