Dorothy Middleton Anderson

Dorothy Middleton Anderson, 96, of Charleston, South Carolina, widow of Robert Maxwell Anderson, M.D., entered into eternal rest peacefully and with great dignity Saturday, July 1, 2017. Her funeral service will be held Saturday, July 8, 2017 in St. Philip's Church, 142 Church Street, Charleston, South Carolina, 29401 at 2 p.m. Interment will be private. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel.

Dorothy was born August 3, 1920 in Charleston, South Carolina, daughter of the late Charles Francis Middleton and Margaret Simons Middleton. She attended Crafts School, Memminger High School, and was a graduate of the College of Charleston. Dorothy was very active in the Charleston community and served on boards of the Auxiliary to the Charleston Lions Club (president for two terms), Junior League of Charleston and its Lowcountry Sustainers, H.E.L.P. of Charleston, Christian Family Y, Association for the Blind, the South Carolina Medical Society Auxiliary, and the Charleston Bible Society. She also served on the South Carolina State Museum Commission, and was a member of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of South Carolina, the Carolina Assembly and was one of the founders of the Albemarle Supper Club.

Dorothy was elected to the Charleston Hall of Fame in 1994 by the Charleston Federation of Women's Clubs, an honor also awarded to her mother, Margaret Simons Middleton in 1974. In 1989, she and her sister, Margaret Middleton Rivers republished and supplemented a book written by Mrs. Middleton, Jeremiah Theus, Colonial Artist of Charleston, as a memorial to their mother's 100th birthday.
Dorothy was a member of St. Philip's Church, where she twice served as a Vestry member, being the first woman elected to that position. She was president of the St. Philip's Women's Auxiliary, served as Sunday School secretary and organized the Adult Forum for many years. She also taught Sunday School and co-authored a Sunday School curriculum with Bishop Robert E. Gribbin. Her Monday morning Bible class met faithfully for over 30 years and was a great source of strength, comfort and friendship. Additionally, Dorothy served as the president of St. Philip's Historical Society and spent many years as their historian and archivist, organizing and preserving the church records which date back to Colonial times. Her fascination with the people behind the letters and sermons she was reading lead to a 35 year journey which in partnership with her niece Margaret Rivers Eastman, resulted in the recent publication of St. Philip's Church of Charleston: An Early History of the Oldest Parish in South Carolina, the first definitive history of St. Philip's Church and early colonial South Carolina.

Dorothy is survived by her two sons: Dr. Robert Maxwell Anderson, Jr. (Olivia), of Brasstown, North Carolina, and Dr. Charles Middleton Anderson (Sandra), of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; and her daughter, Lois Anderson Ganner (Carl) of Brevard, North Carolina; eleven grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her husband and one son, Thomas Randolph Anderson (Florance).

Memorials may be made to St. Philip's Church Archives Fund, 142 Church Street, Charleston, SC, 29401, Water Missions International, 1150 Kinzer Street, Building 1605, North Charleston, SC, 29415, or L.A.M.B. Institute, PO Box 20488, Charleston, SC, 29413.