Arthur "Art"

Dee

Arthur “Art” Hollis Dee,

July 28, 1948 – May 11, 2026

FREDERICK, MA -- Arthur “Art” Hollis Dee age 77, passed away peacefully on May 10, 2026, leaving a legacy of family, community and an adventurous spirit. He was born on July 28, 1948, in Hartford City, Indiana, to Leo Richard and Kathryn (Hollis) Dee.

Earning his pilot’s license, he and his brother could be seen flying across the midwest fields in a J3 Cub plane during their teenage years in Indiana. Art graduated from Dunkirk High School, Indiana in 1966, where he met his high school sweetheart, Bonnie Lynn Grayson. They married in 1968 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Hartford City, IN, which served as one of the Dee family parishes in the area dating back to 1898.

Following High School, Art attended Purdue University, earning a bachelor’s degree in economics. He went on to a successful corporate career at American Can Company, Kimberly-Clark, and Ryan Homes (NVR), which took him and the family across the United States, settling in Troy, OH and West Bloomfield, MI where Art and Bonnie raised their two daughters, later relocating to St. Simons Island, Georgia and Frederick, Maryland.

In Troy, OH, Art co-founded the Miami Montessori School and helped produce the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s “Pops in the Park” series, which continues there today. Living up to his name, he loved making art and his drawing skills demonstrated unrealized talent. Like his mother, Art was an avid golfer. In his later years, he greatly enjoyed traveling through Europe and beyond.

A life-long enthusiast of the Civil War, moving to the historic town of Frederick, Maryland allowed Art’s passion to thrive, especially in the restoration of their home, a Civil War-era townhouse. Art also served on the Frederick Airport Commission, as a Eucharistic Minister at St. John’s Catholic Church, and on the St. John’s Cemetery Board.

Art is survived by his beloved wife, Bonnie Dee; daughters, Elizabeth Dee (fiancé Simon Frantz) and Meghan Ewin (husband Josh); grandchildren, Thomas, Ella and Leo; sister-in-law, Karen Dee; brother/sisters-in-law: Geri Jones, Ray and Peggy Grayson, and Fanny Lou Shedd; also his nieces and nephews, Kristin Tierney and Lori Reeburgh; nieces/nephews, Jennifer Fisher, Scott Grayson, Julie Berry, David Grayson, Karen Fishbough, and Aaron Huber. He is also survived by his faithful dog, Charlie. He was preceded in death by his parents and his older brother, Leo Richard “Dick” Dee.

A visitation and memorial service will be held Saturday, November 14, 2026 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 209 S. Spring St., Hartford City, IN beginning with a visitation at 10:00 a.m. and Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Gravestone blessing to follow, at the Dee family burial ground, at the Hartford City Cemetery. A luncheon at noon will follow in the church parish hall, courtesy of the Altar-Rosary Society.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Art’s honor to Dr. Aaron Rapoport at the University of Maryland Medical School, in support of pioneering research into treatments for lymphoma. (www.medschool.umaryland.edu/give)