Shelburne woman had an infectious laugh and a love of people and never passed up an opportunity for conversation Dorothy Jean Drewes Davies, known as “Bunty” to friends and family, died on Monday, December 2, 2024, after sustaining a fall on Thanksgiving Day. She was peaceful and surrounded by her husband and three daughters at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt., a place whose mission she admired and where she received excellent care in her last days. Born on July 7, 1937, in Bronxville, N.Y., she was the beloved only child of Wallace John Drewes and Dorothy Elsie Seiffert Drewes. She was born prematurely and spent her first several weeks of life in the hospital. The nurses called her “little baby Bunting” — an old English term of endearment — and this was transformed into Bunty, becoming her lifelong nickname. She had an infectious, distinctive laugh; was cheerful and outgoing; and never passed up an opportunity for conversation. She kept in touch through handwritten letters, phone calls and personal visits, eschewing email, computers and social media. She loved Lake George and the Adirondacks and all things Italy, musical and beautiful. She had an excellent eye and enjoyed collecting unique and lovely items throughout her life. Bunty passed on her lifelong love of Lake George to her children and grandchildren, bringing them back to the family house each summer and supporting the next generations in developing their own wonderful experiences. She grew up in a very musical household, attending Broadway shows with her parents and developing an enduring appreciation for opera. Her father was an accomplished pianist, and she remembered sitting with him on the piano bench and learning from him as he played after dinner each night. An avid ballet dancer, swimmer and ice skater, she graduated from A.B. Davis High School in 1955, where she was a cheerleader and part of an experimental education program in advanced music theory education, fueling her lifelong appreciation of music. She attended SUNY Plattsburgh and studied elementary school education, working at the Ausable Club as a waitress during the summers. A highlight of her college experience was spending the summer of 1958 in Italy living with a family in Biella through the Experiment in International Living, a Putney, Vt.-based organization for experiential cross-cultural learning. She graduated in 1959 as editor of the yearbook and then taught third grade in Rye, N.Y. She met her future husband, Hubert Davies Jr., at a party at the home of her friend Carolyn Davies…