Dorothy Adassa Whyte Burgess (also known to her hus-band as Dara), was a resident of Dorchester, Massachu-setts. On April 13th, 2021 Dorothy, at the graceful age of 83 years old, passed away at the family home surrounded by loved ones.
On April 6th, 1938, in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, Dorothy Adassa Whyte was born to Josephus Whyte and Albertta Murray.
Dorothy had 8 siblings - many of which remained in Jamaica. Millicent Whyte-White, Pamella Whyte, Jean “Plummy” Whyte Malcolm, Shemley “Pauline” Whyte of Tennessee, James “Jonny” Whyte, Carolyn “Winsome” Whyte Leith of Tennessee, Fay “Morien” Whyte, Ricardo “Gary” Whyte.
On December 27, 1970, Dorothy married Louis Burgess in St. Mary, Jamaica. Together, they parented 5 children, 17 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Dorothy was the first in her entire family to come to America. Having mi-grated to the states in 1968, Dorothy then began to pave the way for her family to join her in Boston, Massachusetts. After coming to Boston, Dorothy earned her GED at the ABCD Learning Center. She worked for New England Life Insurance Company and as a nurses’ aide for several nursing homes throughout the area. She also worked in the Boston Public School system as a lunch aide, including be-ing the lunch lady to some of her grandchildren. Dorothy enjoyed giving back to the community, along with volun-teering at the Pine Street Inn, Rosie’s Place, the Salvation Army and Our Daily Bread. She continually would passed out the quarterly booklets of Our Daily Bread to family and friends. She would bring her granddaughters with her to serve on occasions, to show them the importance of giving back to their community. She was a virtuous woman, hard working, continually giving, very caring, loving, and gener-ous. She was always giving to those in need, but not just here in the Boston area. Dorothy also sent many barrels filled with clothes and food back home to Jamaica.
