Dora Elizabeth (Collins) Conly , of East St. Johnsbury, passed away at the age of 89 on Tuesday, April 26, 2005, at her home in "East Village" following a brief illness. Dora Collins was born in St. Johnsbury on June 30, 1915, to Carroll Lorenzo Collins and Florence Violet (Cole) Collins. Carroll was the seventh generation descendant of Benjamin who immigrated to Massachusetts from England in 1660. Florence immigrated to America from Newfoundland at the age of 13. Dora was immensely proud of her family heritage. Dora grew up in St. Johnsbury and Lyndonville, attending schools in both towns including St. Johnsbury Academy. At the age of 12, she remembered the 1927 Flood all too well as her family was living on Passumpsic Street at the time and narrowly escaped the raging flood waters. Growing up during the Great Depression was not easy. Dora worked for several area businesses as a young woman, including Barry & Ball and Cary Maple Sugar, to supplement the family income. She met William "Bill" Conly at a local skating pond when she was sweet 16. The relationship blossomed but Dora had a difficult time bringing Bill to the altar! A constant fixture on many of their dates was youngest sister Marguerite! Finally, while home on leave from the Army in July of 1944, Bill and Dora married. Two years later, after Bill's discharge, they purchased a home in East St. Johnsbury. After several years, they started a family, raising three sons and a daughter. Dora could often be seen in Bill's grand garden picking vegetables for the evening meal. Dora was a spiritual and compassionate woman. Though still a member of the Grace Methodist Church in St. Johnsbury, she quickly took interest in the activities at the Third Congregational Church in the village. She served on many a committee to ease the burden of the underprivileged - both here and abroad. As the children grew, the family spent many summer days and weeks at the family camp at Miles Pond in Concord. As their eldest children approached their teens, the Conly family started camping. First with a tent, then a pop-up camper and lastly a travel trailer, they traveled the roads from Massachusetts to Prince Edward Island. They enjoyed their camping experiences immensely, particularly the time spent in Maine. Dora was fond of seafood, light houses, large Maine flea markets and the seashore. For many years throughout the 1970s and '80s, Dora was a fixture in not only the church choir, but also in the North Country Chorus. She enjoyed singing and traveling with the chorus, most notably their trip to England. The White Cliffs of Dover made a lasting impression upon her. Following Bill's passing in 1998, Dora continued her camping adventures with her eldest son, Herb and his wife Ginger. Last August they spent several days at Old Orchard Beach in an RV. Dora will be long remembered for her love of song, her compassion and her wonderful disposition and - her chess pie! Dora is survived by one brother, Chauncey and his wife Pauline of St. Johnsbury; one sister, Marguerite Collins Ayer and her husband Neal of St. Johnsbury; three sons, Herbert and his wife Ginger of Jericho; Craig of Sebastopol, Calif., and Brent of Placerville, Calif.; and a daughter, Tanya of East St. Johnsbury; a grandson, Bill Conly of Maine; a granddaughter, Jennet Tempone and her husband Frank; and two great-grandsons, Jonathan and David Tempone of Massachusetts. In addition to her parents and husband Bill, Dora was predeceased by two sisters, Lauray Ruth and Elizabeth Theoclis; two brothers, Lorenzo Carroll and Albert Henry; a niece, Dr. Wealtha Collins McGurn; plus several sisters- and brothers-in-law. Calling hours will be held at Sayles Funeral Home on Sunday, May 1, from 2-5:00 p.m. The funeral will be at the Third Congregational Church in East St. Johnsbury on Monday at 11 a.m. Internment to follow at the Grove Cemetery on Route 2 in East St. Johnsbury. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to the Third Congregational Church, in care of Joanne Cote, P.O. Box 77, East St. Johnsbury, VT 05838.