Marie Dotson

Marie M Dotson

April 27, 1935 ~ July 30, 2017

Layton, Utah – Marie McCarrey Dotson, 82, passed away Sunday, July 30, 2017 surrounded by four generations of family members, all of us uplifted by her interminable spirit and courage. She was born April 27, 1935 in Richmond, Utah to Leona Rasmussen McCarrey and James Lewis McCarrey. Marie was always very proud of her LDS pioneer ancestry, originating from Denmark and the Isle of Man.

Following her birth, Marie contracted numerous diseases that threatened her life and ultimately took away her hearing, which would be partially restored years later after numerous surgeries. Shortly after Marie’s first birthday, her father passed away, leaving her and her three young siblings to be raised solely by her mother, another woman with an indomitable spirit.

From a young age her goals were well defined: to marry a redhead in the temple, and become a mother and teacher. Marie married her best friend, traveling companion and redhead, the late Phil A Dotson, in the Logan, Temple on December 18, 1959. Marie’s life passion was teaching. Both of her parents, and all of her siblings, and husband were career educators: Marie was destined to teach. So together, Marie and Phil founded a family business in 1966, Great Basin Film, producing educational wildlife media for elementary schools. They travelled extensively photographing wildlife, from brown bear and walruses in Alaska to multiple journeys photographing the great wildlife migrations on East Africa's Serengeti Plain. Meaning she spent a significant portion of her married life roaming the earth’s wilderness sleeping in tents, VW bus, and Maasai dung huts.

Marie received her degree from Utah State University, and did additional educational training at Weber State and BYU. Her first teaching contract was in Price, UT, and she went on to teach in Idaho, Alaska and North Dakota before spending the majority of her career in the Ogden, Utah school district at both the elementary and middle school level.

She is survived by her three children: Robert (Kelli) Dotson, Bountiful; Tom (Takako) Dotson, West Jordan; Carol (George) LaDamus, Layton; and 15 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren; and her brother Dr. Leon (Roberta) McCarrey and her sister LuR McCarrey. Her parents and brother Don preceded her in death, along with McCarrey half sisters Alice, Florence, Lucille, Elva, Faye and Marian and half brothers James Lewis Jr. and Rulon.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 4, 2017 at 2 p.m. at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd. Friends may visit with family on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Friday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the mortuary.  Interment, Richmond Utah Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind at www.usdb.org