WOLCOTT - Dorothy Eleanor Wilcox passed away peacefully August 3, 2026, at the age of 96.  Born December 3, 1929, Dorothy was a true “Bay Rat,” having grown up at the east end of the Sodus Bay Bridge and later living on Shaker Heights before moving to Wolcott.  Her grandfather was the captain of the steamship Sunbeam that toured Sodus Bay and whose ship’s whistles are now on display at the Sodus Point Lighthouse Museum.  As a kid, Dorothy and her siblings celebrated the start of summer by jumping off the Sodus Bay bridge every June 1.  

Dorothy and her husband Ken worked for many years at E&V in Wolcott.  She enjoyed fishing for bullheads when the ice melted on the bay and for rock bass when the apple blossoms bloomed.  After moving to Wolcott, she spent her time crocheting, gardening, collecting stuffed bears and feeding the wild birds and other critters.  She and her husband Ken especially enjoyed their yearly trips to Las Vegas and to Alaska to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.  She seldom missed a trip to Del Lago casino, the yearly craft fair and monthly seniors’ lunch at the Rose Grange or lunch with the girls.    

Dorothy was predeceased by her husband of more than 50 years, Ken Wilcox; her brother, Raymond Rusco, and her sisters Janet “Tyke” Rickles, Ethel “Tootsie” Herrick and Theresa Rusco.  She is survived by her four children, Connie (Chris Hallam) Wilcox of Ithaca, N.Y., Tom (Donna) Wilcox of Wolcott, Ron (Jane) Wilcox of Greenwood Village, CO, and Theresa (Ron Eisenmenger) Wilcox of North Rose; five grandchildren, Brianne VanCuyck, Adam Wilcox, Tina Pierce, Ryan Wilcox and Jillian Maria, and three great-grandchildren, Eleanor Wilcox, Reese Pierce and Aurora Maria.

A private memorial service will be held by the family at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Cracker Box Palace animal shelter in North Rose, N.Y.

Arrangements by Schulz-Pusateri Funeral Home.