Dolly died peacefully Sept. 12, 2020, in her beautiful home, surrounded by her closest family. Her remarkable positive energy sustained her and those around her through her three bouts of unrelated cancers, the last of which was only diagnosed in March. Lucid until almost the very end, she loved receiving messages of support from her classmates in her final days.

Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Dolly spent her formative years in Stamford, Conn. On campus she lived in Wilson College our freshman and sophomore years. Dolly joined Colonial Club and majored in comparative literature. After graduation she earned a doctorate in clinical psychology at Yeshiva University, and went on to serve families, couples, and individuals for decades with her insight, empathy, and indomitable spirit.

Dolly had a flair for dressing and jewelry, and she loved folk dancing, Celtic music and mythology, the Rolling Stones, and fantasy and science-fiction literature. A radiant beauty, fierce and passionate, she enjoyed lively debates on all subjects. Her joie-de-vivre brightened the lives of all who knew her.

At Dolly’s wish, her family plans to celebrate her life in a year’s time, which will hopefully be post-COVID. Our sympathies to Dolly’s sons James and Nick Tien, her former husband and friend Stephen Tien, her sisters Deborah and Diana Shaffer, and their extended family.

Undergraduate Class of 1978