Dorothy Medin, a real-life Rosie the Riveter, longtime Vladimir’s chef and devoted great-great-grandmother who always put her family, animals and garden first, passed away on April 16 at age 90. She spent her final days in the Inverness home she shared with her children and grandchildren for more than half a century.

Nestled amid tranquil pines and blooming blue carpets of forget-me-nots, the house the Medins built by hand in 1957 was home to four…