Obituary of Dottie Caley

Dorothy “Dottie” Caley passed away on January 9, 2024 surrounded by loving friends.

She was born to Grace and Samuel Caley in North Industry, Ohio on February 25, 1929.  Her dad was a coal miner until 1941 when he went to work for Diebold Safe & Lock. Dottie graduated from Canton South High School in 1947 and began her first job at Ohio Power Company.

In 1954, she moved to Phoenix, Arizona where, at that time most of the roads were dirt and there was no air conditioning in either homes or cars. She went to work at Mountain Bell Telephone and spent her career with various AT&T companies. Finding her 1984 retirement boring, she once again went to work until her final retirement in 1989.

She loved Arizona and enjoyed her home surrounded by grapefruit trees. Moving to Superstition Mountain Resort in Apache Junction, AZ she discovered the RV life. She continued to call Arizona home  while spending summers extensively traveling the West including Alaska. Dottie and her travel partner also enjoyed cruises traveling to Antarctica, the Mediterranean, South America, New Zealand and the South Pacific, the Danube River, New England and the Netherlands and Belgium.

During her travels she visited Boise and in 2000 she bought a home. In 2002 she settled permanently in Boise where she took advantage many cultural activities. She regularly attended the Philharmonic, Boise Music Week, the Boise Little Theater, the Shakespeare Festival and the Knock ‘em Dead dinner theater. Her interests and hobbies included travel, gardening and camping with friends. Many summer weekends were spent in glorious spaces camping, including a spot on the river next to the superb Starlight Mountain theater. 

She leaves behind her many friends in Boise, ID and Apache Junction, AZ. She is survived by nieces, Pam Mason, Laura Matney, Susan Martindale, and nephew Dean Caley.

Dottie was preceded in death by her father: Samuel Caley in 1957; her mother: Grace Caley in 1980; her brother: Nelson Caley, who died on May 27, 2014; her sister: Elsie Gatcomb, who died on June 27, 2014.