Dorothy A. Dearaujo

In the tidy, tightknit Long Beach seaside neighborhood of Naples, Dorothy A. Dearaujo was known as “our artist” because she captured the area’s canals, boats, shops and homes in detailed, flashy water colors.

Dearaujo, a cheery, independent 82-year-old woman who had lived alone for more than 20 years, was a frequent traveler to places famous for their scenery and museums: France, Australia, Italy, Brazil and Hawaii.

Dearaujo was 69 when she earned a bachelor’s degree in art at Cal State Long Beach. About a month ago, she went to Bedford, Mass., to visit her son, Tim, said her next door neighbors, Earl and Karen Anderson.

“I was looking forward to her return,” said Karen Anderson, a geology instructor at Cal State Long Beach. “She was going to finish a painting of our home by adding some flowers.”