Dorothy Yankowitz

Dorothy Yankowitz (née Zolot) passed away peacefully in her home in Wynnewood, PA on July 10, 2024, at the miraculous age of 107. She was born in Philadelphia, PA on February 3, 1917 to Israel and Ethel (Greenberg) Zolot, who had immigrated to the United States just a few years before to escape the pogroms in Russia. She was preceded in death by three sisters, Edith, Lee, and Rose; a brother, Phil; her husband, Solomon; and her son, Richard. She is survived by her son, Edward of Philadelphia; her grandchildren, Amy (Craig) Milsten of York, Randie (Lon) Edelman of Avondale, and Matthew (Kelsey) Yankowitz of Lansdale; and 5 great-grandchildren, Alex, Andrew, Finch, Maya, and Brielle. 

Dorothy graduated from John Bartram High School where she played varsity girls’ volleyball. She married Solomon (Sol) Yankowitz (1911-1999) in 1937 and had two sons, Edward (b.1940), and Richard (1943-2024). The family lived at 52nd and Lebanon Ave. in the Wynnefield neighborhood of Philadelphia. Dorothy was a neighborhood volunteer and a den mother for her sons’ Cub Scout Troop, but her main focus in life was caring for her home and family. Dorothy kept an immaculate home, cleaning walls and ceilings on a regular schedule, and was a wonderful cook and baker. Dinner was always hot and on the table the moment Sol came home from work, calculating his arrival by the minute and worrying when his car didn’t appear in front of their home at the expected minute. For Dorothy, worry was her “love language” and her motivation to make sure her family was fed and cared for.Once Richard married and her granddaughters were born, Friday night dinners became an almost sacred ritual. Having her entire family over for dinner to enjoy her love-laden meals was her favorite time of the week. Scolding her two sons when they bickered or “over-stimulated” the girls before bed (Amy and Randie usually stayed overnight), was both expected and fodder for laughter by all. So much laughter could be heard in that home every Friday night, and core memories were formed. After her granddaughters were grown, the dinners continued with her youngest grandchild, Matthew, and so did the antics.  All of her children and grandchildren treasure these memories and still laugh and smile when recalling them today.After Sol’s death in 1999, Dorothy moved into an apartment at Green Hill in Wynnewood. She rented the apartment from a condominium owner, as she didn’t expect to live very much longer. Instead, she called that apartment her home for the next 24 years, and many more memories were made there. Daily visits from Edward, frequent visits and dinners out with Richard, and quality time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom she loved fiercely and worried about accordingly. Since both of her sons were single for most of their lives— Edward never married, and Richard married and divorced twice— it remained her purpose to care for her “boys” and make sure they were never alone for holidays, birthdays, and other special events. She continued to cook elaborate meals well into her nineties, and still guided her personal aides through her recipes once she went virtually blind at age 99. Her memory and awareness stayed intact until about a year before her death, and her entire family was able to enjoy her and love her for much longer than anyone expected. Without a doubt, Dorothy’s legacy was LOVE. She lived an extraordinarily long life, but her legacy will live on in the hearts of her family forever. 

There will be a graveside funeral service for Dorothy on July 22, 2024 at 1:00pm at Roosevelt Memorial Park, 2701 Old Lincoln Highway, Trevose, PA 19053.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in her honor to Autism Speaks, or the American Heart Association.