Dolly Marcotte

by Sherri Siraco

Occasionally, our lives are touched by the grace of true beauty. We may see this beauty in the hues of an amazing sunset, the smell of a rose in full bloom, hearing the laughter of a child, or in hearing the story of a great life. A life that has experienced more than its share of pain and heartache, but that has also known true love and joy.

Dolores Cecile (Bacon) Marcotte was born on April 26, 1936, in Lowell, Massachusetts. She was the first of three girls fathered by Alexander Socrates and Cecile Anne. Her parents, as well as her younger sisters, Susan and Janet were also born in Lowell.

Dolores, or as her friends call her, Dolly, spent her childhood in Lowell. She lived in a three-family apartment on Coolidge Street. Dolly went to catholic schools throughout her childhood, and, like most of the children she knew, she quit school in the eighth grade. She went to work; first babysitting then working as a waitress at Sweetland Gardens and Green’s Department Store. She earned her money by serving ice cream and running the hot dog steaming machine. Dolly always dreamt of becoming a famous actress like Susan Hayward or Shirley Temple. She loved watching them sing and dance in the movies.

As a teenager, Dolly found that she had a love for roller-skating – she felt great satisfaction in going fast and in knowing that she impressed the boys with her ability. One thing she feels badly about is that in her life she never owned her own pair of skates.

The Bacon family did not have a lot of money. The girls shared clothes and food was scarce. Dolly remembers spending hours standing in the food line in the city for blocks of cheese, bread, and powdered milk. The family ate horsemeat instead of ground beef, and eggs and oatmeal for breakfast. When they could afford it, they had hamburgers and French fries. Holidays were all celebrated the same way. A celebration that first included the children, then it was time for the adults to have fun – they would drink their whiskey and ginger ale, and sing and dance the night away. On birthdays, Dolly remembers her father playing his guitar and singing "Happy Birthday" to her.

When she was fourteen years old, Dolly fell in love for the first time. She was going to a sixteenth birthday party for Armand, the boy who had just moved in downstairs from her. She remembers her dress vividly – peach cotton with a square neck and a flared bottom. Dolly described the moment he walked in the room, saying, "It was love at first sight for both of us." She and Armand were a couple for over a year when he joined the Navy and was sent to Trinidad. While there, he bought her an engagement ring and sent it to her in the mail. Because Armand was not there to put it on her finger, the mailman was nice enough to stand in for him and slide it on for her. Sadly, their relationship didn’t last. Then, through a friend, Dolly met another man. Joe was a nice guy; he took her to the movies and out to eat on dates. Not long after, Dolly discovered she was pregnant with Joe’s baby. They did ‘the right thing’ and got married in February of 1954. Joe was a Navy man, and he spent much of his time away from home. Some of this time was working, the other time he was out drinking with his military buddies. Dolly gave birth to a baby girl, Debbie, in August of 1954. Thirteen months later, in September of 1955 she had Wayne. From there, her marriage slid downhill. In October 1958 she had Linda. At the time she gave birth, Dolly and Joe had separated and were in the process of getting a divorce. Linda never met her biological father.

In 1959, Dolly was dancing at Chuck’s, a bar in Lowell, when she bumped into a friend who offered to fix her up with a handsome college student named Charlie. Dolly got his number and called him. They arranged to meet at Chuck’s. She told him he would know her because she would be wearing a red dress. They met and hit it off right away. He loved her and her children. Most of their dates consisted of taking the kids for ice cream and playing games with them all. In December of 1960, Dolly and Charlie got married. They bought their first home on Loretta Avenue in Pelham. This was a huge change for the family. They had wonderful neighbors and friends. Getting together to play cards and have dinner was very routine for them. This was truly an era of knowing your neighbors, something Dolly wishes would happen more often today. Life went on smoothly for a while. In September 1968, Dolly had another baby, a girl named Sheri.

In 1970, life started to change for her. After a miscarriage, Dolly was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She had radiation treatments daily for six weeks and as a result of the major negligence of her doctor, ended up with a colostomy for life. Dolly came very close to death on more than one occasion.

The major event in the world at this time was the Vietnam War. In 1970, Wayne decided he wanted to fight for his country and he joined the Marines. This was the closest Dolly had come to the war and it scared her tremendously. Wayne never got sent to Vietnam, much to his mother’s relief.

Dolly has had many proud moments as a parent. She now has four children, ten grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. She takes much pride in the successes of her children and in all of her grandkids. The accomplishment she is the most proud of is being a great mother and raising happy, healthy children.

In 1984, Dolly lost her second husband to cancer. This was a true heartbreak for her and for her and Charlie’s four children. She has been single for over 20 years. She says there is a part of her that hopes to maybe find true love once more, but for now, she spends a lot of time with her family. When asked what she would like people to remember about her, she contemplated for a moment and said she wants people to remember that she is very kind and loving.

People’s lives have a way of bringing both happy times when it feels that nothing can go wrong, and misery that can seem to have no end. Dolly has seen both of these extremes first hand and everything in between. She has shown an unrivaled amount of integrity and dignity, and has always set a positive example to her children about perseverance in times of trouble. Have you met Dolores Marcotte?