Dorothy Craig (Barnum) Venter
September 7, 1913 ~ April 27, 2021 (age 107)
Dorothy Barnum Venter, of Southbury, CT, died peacefully in her home at Pomperaug Woods on April 27, 2021. She was 107 years old, and she lived an incredibly rich and meaningful life. She was born six years before women were granted the right to vote, a right she never took for granted. She saw Civil War veterans march in parades as a child, survived two pandemics and two World Wars, attended college during the Great Depression, and witnessed many world-altering events over the last century.
Subscribe
Born in Naugatuck, CT to the late Earl M. and Louise Hendrickson Barnum, she was a graduate of Naugatuck High School and Sweet Briar College in Virginia. She shared forty-five very happy years with her beloved husband, the late Cdr. Josiah G. Venter, US Naval Academy 1912. Together, they presided over an ever-expanding family from their home on Johnsons Point in Branford, CT, where she was always active gardening, swimming, walking and sailing. Following Josiah's death in 1983, Dorothy truly became the Matriarch, providing counsel, support and much love to all of her family.