Dorothy Wilson

"We are here to live joyfully.”

Dorothy Barteau “Dee” Wilson was born on May 29, 1926 in Potrerillos, Chile to Dorothy Powell and Harry C. Barteau.  Her father Harry was Chief Comptroller there with Anaconda Copper.  Dee spent her first seven years in Chile before she and her brother Sidney Brewster moved with the family to Scarsdale, NY.  She graduated from Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA with a degree in Psychology, spending her junior year in Boulder, Colorado - her first taste of the west.

From 1949-1972, Dee was married to Dr. Howard Wilson.  They lived in New York, Montana, and Los Alamos and had 6 children together: Janet (Colin) Cordova and Barbara (Robert) Schwan in New York; Steven (Miguel Soler de Mota) and Dana (Dirk) van Westrienen in Montana; and Kimberly (David) Cunnington and Dale (Stephen) Dunn in Los Alamos where Howard was called to practice pediatrics. Her family has now expanded to 12 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

Dee was instrumental in the development of Pajarito Acres.  She continued to live there for the rest of her life in her beautiful house with the view of the San Miguel mountains, her gardens, her art, her around-the-world collections from her many travels, the birds, the deer, and all of her beloved animals including her little dog Nube—her soul mate.

In 1976, after completing her Masters Degree in Psychology at UNM, Dee began her career in counseling at Los Alamos High School.  She was very involved with the foreign exchange students there, becoming friends with each and even visiting them in their respective countries.  One girl she mentored later became President of Croatia.

Dee was an active member of the Los Alamos Rotary Club and served one year as president.  She initiated a project in the Dominican Republic that helped immigrant Haitian children get their Dominican papers so they could attend school.

Throughout her life, Dee loved to travel.  From driving and taking the train to New York, California and across Canada, she visited all 50 states except Alaska.  In 1970, she took the younger kids and went to Europe where they traveled in a Volkswagen camper from Amsterdam to Greece and back to Paris via Yugoslavia, Rome and Venice.  That was just the spark.  During school breaks, Dee went to Russia, China, Syria, Jerusalem, the Nile, Kenya, Scandinavia, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Fiji, Turkey, and sailed the Caribbean.  She knew the world well and made a lot of friends wherever she went.

Dee chose to see the beauty in the world.  She inspired that love in her children and grandchildren along with a rich spiritual life.  She believed that “we are here to live joyfully.”  And that she did.

We will celebrate her life at The United Church of Los Alamos on Friday, March 2, 2018 at 10:30 am, with a reception to follow at The Fuller Lodge.  The interment will be at 3:00 pm, at Guaje Pines Cemetery. The family of Dorothy Barteau “Dee” Wilson has entrusted the care of their loved one to the DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the Espanola Valley. 505-747-7477-www.devargasfuneral.com