Dorothy Dearborn was born on July 22, 1927, in Saint John, to Huia and Kenneth Ryder. She attended school in Saint John and graduated from Saint John High School. As a writer, politician, television host, and active member of the Canadian Mental Health Association, she had an impressive array of accomplishments.

In the 1950s, Dearborn published her first collection of poems and short stories. She honed her writing skills by attending summer writing sessions at a woman’s home in New Hampshire. She believed that learning by doing was “better than any university lecture.” Throughout her career, she authored numerous books, many of which focused on ghosts and murders in New Brunswick.

Some of her best-selling titles include “New Brunswick Out of Body and Beyond!” (2004), “New Brunswick Haunted Houses and Other Tales of Strange and Eerie Events” (2000), “Gallows of New Brunswick” (1999), “New Brunswick Sea Stories: Phantom Ships and Pirate’s Gold, Shipwrecks and Iron Men” (1998), “Legends, Oddities and Mysteries (Including UFO Experiences!) in New Brunswick” (1996), “Madness and Murder in New Brunswick, Including You Be the Jury and More Unsolved Murders” (1995), “New Brunswick Ghosts! Demons! And Things That Go Bump in the Night!” (1994), and “Unsolved New Brunswick Murders” (1993). She also wrote books on New Brunswick’s history, such as “An Anecdotal History of York and Sunbury Counties” (2002), “An Anecdotal History of Kings County, New Brunswick” (2001), and “True Stories: New Brunswick at War” (1997). Although her books were popular in New Brunswick and the Maritimes, she emphasized her love of writing over monetary gain or awards.

Dearborn made history as Canada’s first female city editor for a newspaper, working for Saint John’s Telegraph-Journal and The Evening Times-Globe as a journalist. She was a member of the Periodical Writers Association of Canada and contributed to various magazines as a freelancer.

In addition to her writing career, Dearborn was involved in television, politics, and the Canadian Mental Health Association. In the 1960s, she wrote and hosted a panel show called “Check and Double Check.” Despite her television career, she also ran for federal and provincial office in the riding of Fundy-Royal, although unsuccessfully. As part of the Canadian Mental Health Association, she initiated the “Forgotten Patient Project,” which became an international effort, and founded the first school for the mentally challenged in Saint John, earning her an award from Mayfair Magazine. She also campaigned for adult literacy and human rights. Dearborn continued writing from her home in Hampton until her passing on January 2, 2016. She was married to Fred R. Dearborn, and they had five children together.

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