Dorothy Ann (Elling) Meehan-Ripa

October 1, 1934 – June 26, 2025

Dorothy Ann (Elling) Meehan-Ripa passed away peacefully on June 26, 2025, in Chatham, Massachusetts. Born on October 1, 1934, in White Plains, NY, she was raised in Ardsley, NY, as the eldest child of Henry and Marion (McCaffrey) Elling.

Dorothy graduated from Ardsley High School in 1952, one of just 29 classmates. She went on to attend Manhattanville College and later earned her degree from the College of New Rochelle in 1956. Ready to embrace the world, she began her professional journey at Abbott Laboratories while pursuing advanced degrees earning both a Master of Science and a Master of Education from Columbia Teachers College. She later taught Biology and Earth Science at Hastings Middle School. In 1960, she married Joseph R. Meehan, and together they raised a family living first in Irvington, NY,  then Briarcliff Manor, NY and ultimately settling in Katonah, NY in 1965.

After pausing her career to raise her children, Dorothy returned to the workforce as the manager of the laboratory at Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mount Kisco, NY where she worked until her retirement in 1997. She then moved to Chatham, MA, where she found joy in daily Mass followed by breakfast with friends, walking the beach collecting sea glass and shells, gardening with the Chatham Garden Club, playing piano and was an avid reader. She also enjoyed singing in the Holy Redeemer Church choir and served as a Eucharistic Minister. Through various church activities at Holy Redeemer Dorothy met and later married Philip Ripa in 2003.

Dorothy will be remembered as a devoted mother, grandmother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. She was kind-hearted, forgiving, and always ready to lend a hand. She had a deep love for her dogs and an even deeper love for her family. Her sweet tooth for dark chocolate, fudge and Fluff was matched only by her sweet disposition.

She is survived by her brother Thomas (Laura) Elling of Waretown, NJ; her children Joseph (Amanda) Meehan of Newtown, PA; Elizabeth (Mark) Wagner of Brewster, NY; and Patrick Meehan of Chatham, MA; her grandchildren Robert (Holly) Meehan of Sterling, VA; Kelsey (Nicholas) O’Hey of Yardley, PA; Kathleen Wagner of Boston, MA; and Madeline Wagner of Brewster, NY; and her great-grandchildren Beckham and Brycen O’Hey, and Cooper and Max Meehan. She is also lovingly remembered by her extended family through marriage: stepsons Philip Ripa Jr. of New Sharon, ME; Mark of St. Albans, VT; Christopher  of Harwich, MA; Matthew of Brewster, MA; and stepdaughters Cynthia of Fairfield, CT; Regina of Chatham, MA; and Nancy of Brooksville, FL.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Holy Redeemer Church in Chatham on Thursday, July 3 at 10:00 AM, followed by burial at Peoples Cemetery in Chatham. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dorothy’s memory may be made to the Chatham Garden Club, the Chatham Council on Aging, or Guiding Eyes for the Blind. For online condolences, please www.nickersonfunerals.com