Dorothy “Darcy” Alice Shean

Dorothy (Darcy) Alice Shean, passed away peacefully in Los Angeles on May 7, 2017, at the age of 92. Born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, to Alice and William T. Peatt, Sr., she was the eldest of four children. Dorothy graduated from Marjorie Webster College in Washington D.C., with a degree in Speech and Voice. After graduation, she began working on the radio in Bridgeport Connecticut, interviewing stars and luminaries of the stage and screen. Dorothy took the professional name “Darcy,” and was called by that name for the rest of her life. She married Richard Thomas (Tom) Shean, her high school sweetheart, in May 1948, and they moved to Syracuse, New York. While Tom was getting his law degree, Darcy had a daily man-on-the-street radio show called, “Talk of The Town.” Simultaneously, she worked on-camera at the local television station. In 1950, she gave birth to a baby girl. The little family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1952, where Darcy continued her radio and television career. She also founded a modeling agency, Darcy Mannequins. For over 40 years, she coordinated and commentated on thousands of fashion shows for women’s organizations, national charities, conventions, and the finest hotels and restaurants in South Florida. Darcy later established a modeling school, Darvian Academy, where she taught modeling, poise, and confidence to more than one generation of women. She was well-known and respected in the community. After 43 years in Fort Lauderdale, Tom and Darcy retired to Ocean Village, in Fort Pierce, to enjoy life by the sea. They had a loving marriage for 65 years, until Tom’s passing in 2013. After Tom’s death, Darcy moved to California to live with her daughter’s family. She is remembered as a generous, dynamic, and glamorous woman, as well as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother: full of fun, one-of-a-kind, the “perfect one,” and the “best of them all.” She was predeceased by all of her siblings, William T Peatt, Jr.; Leslie Peatt; and Marjorie Dudics. She is survived by her daughter, Darcy Shean Fitzwater (Michael Fitzwater); granddaughter, Tania Solomon; and great-grandsons, Devon and Spencer Solomon. She is forever loved and will be greatly missed.