Dorothy Anita Bayliss

Calais – Dorothy Anita (Hayman) Bayliss, 83, died peacefully in her sleep at a local nursing home on July 3, 2011. She was born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada on April 15, 1928, the daughter of Ralph Thompson and Edna Hattie (Leavitt) Hayman. She grew up in Milltown, NB and graduated from Milltown High School. After a year at Miss Crabb’s Business School, she went to work at The Garcelon Stamp Company. In 1947 she married the love of her life, Ralph Ellis Bayliss, and made her home with him in Milltown, Maine. Dottie was well known in the St. Croix Valley as a singer, organist and music teacher. As a young woman she sang at the Algonquin Hotel in St. Andrews and in several choirs in the area. For 40 years she was church organist at First Methodist Church in Milltown, later part of the Calais United Methodist Church, and directed both senior and junior choirs there. She served on many church committees including the United Methodist Women. She was a member of Orion Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, and was known in Masonic and Eastern Star circles as the “go-to” musician. She was Grand Organist of the Grand Chapter of Maine in 1979-1980. Dot taught piano lessons to many budding musicians in the Calais area. In 2007 she was honored with a portrait by Tom Brennan as part of his continuing series on musicians who have contributed to the cultural life of the St. Croix Valley. She was Secretary of the Trustees at Calais Free Library for many years, wrote for the Calais Advertiser and was the bookkeeper at Treworgy Pharmacy for 30 years. She will be remembered by all for her beautiful smile, her kindness, her love of music and the caring and compassion that she showed to so many people. Dot was predeceased by her parents and her beloved Ralphie, who died in 1998, just after their 50th wedding anniversary. She is survived by her daughters Edna Comstock and her husband Peter of Sidney, and Patti Sears and her husband Rick of Machias and Grand Lake Stream; two granddaughters Heather Smale and her husband Ray of Calais, and Missy Sears and significant other Dean Carlow of Baileyville; and three adored great-grandchildren, Jordan Sears, Ashley Knowles and Austin Carlow. She is also survived by her sister Edith G. Strack of Findlay, OH; sisters-in-law Pat Bayliss of Bangor and Pat Barnard of Calais; as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins. Visiting hours will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at Mays Funeral Home, 26 Church St., Calais. A celebration of her life will be held 1 p.m. Thursday at the Calais United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dr. David Grainger officiating. Donations in Dot’s memory may be made to the Calais United Methodist Church, 849 Main St., Calais, ME 04619.