Robert Dorsey, husband of the late Stella A. (Zawisza) Dorsey, died on Friday, November 18, 2016 at Midstate Medical Center surrounded by his loving family after a brief illness. Born in Hartford on June 17, 1919, he was the son of the late Patrick and Theresa (Burns) Dorsey. He was a lifetime Meriden resident and a graduate of St. Rose School. He spent his ninth year at Jefferson Junior High School, where he was the President of his class. He was a graduate of Meriden High School, Class of 1938, received his BS from Teachers College of Connecticut (CCSU) and his Masters from Teachers College, Columbia University 1951. He did Graduate Work at University of Connecticut, Hillyer College and Central Connecticut State College. Robert was an avid athlete, playing basketball and football at varsity level throughout high school and college. Robert was a World War II and Korean Veteran. He served from 1942-1946 and again in 1951-53, where he was assigned to the first Personal Utilization for the Air Rescue Command with the Army Air Force. In 1943, he was selected for Officers Candidate School in the Air Force and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and was discharged as a Major and returned to the Hartford Trade School in 1962. Robert had a long, distinguished career in vocational education starting out as a Guidance Counselor in 1956, while also teaching at the college level at night. He held assistant director positions over the next few years in the state vocational system, where he landed at H.C. Wilcox Technical High School as an Assistant Director in 1963. In 1965, he was promoted to Director of H.C. Wilcox Technical High School, a position he held and loved until his retirement in 1983. Over the years, Robert received many awards, including, in 1984, outstanding contributions to the field of education, from the Connecticut Tooling and Machining Association. In 1985, he was honored by the Commission on Vocational Technical Careers, for his contributions to regional accreditation and quality of vocational education in New England. In 1982, he received the Sportsman of Distinction Award from the Meriden Sports Reunion. In 2005, Robert was inducted into the Wilcox Tech Hall of Fame. Robert was very active in the local community and served on many boards. This included being active with the Meriden Boys Club, YMCA, Meriden Hall of Fame, the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, The Curtis Home Visiting Nurses, The Mayors Task Force on Drug Education and the Rotary Club, where he was a past President.
He is survived by one daughter, Lisa Morley and her husband Kevin of Meriden; two sons, Kevin Dorsey of Meriden and Michael Dorsey and his wife Tracy of South Windsor; two grandchildren, Kyle Dorsey of South Windsor and Sarah (Dorsey) Mazzatto and her husband Nick of Manchester; one step-granddaughter, Vanessa (Morley) Reszko and her husband Adam of Bayonne, NJ as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Judge Donald T. Dorsey and his sister Evelyn (Dorsey) Downey.

The Family would like to thank all that helped their father over the last few years, including Dr. Neil Schollan and Staff and his caretakers, Nancy and Kim and the PCU Nurses and Staff at Midstate Medical Center.
The funeral will be held on Saturday, November 26, 2016 at 9:15 am from the John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home, 88 East Main Street, Meriden and at 10 am at St. Rose of Lima Church for a Mass of Christian Burial. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery. Friends and Family may call at the funeral home on Friday, November 25th from 4 to 8 pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to Franciscan Home Care and Hospice, 267 Finch Avenue, Meriden, CT 06451 or to St. Rose of Lima Church, 35 Center Street. Meriden, CT 06450.

Provide comfort for the family by planting a tree in memory of Robert Dorsey, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.