She was born March 2, 1926, WaKeeney, Kansas. Daughter of Mollie and George Schneider. As the youngest in her family she was loved by all 8 of her older siblings.

The road map of Dorothy’s life included several states with different employment.

Starting in WaKeeney, Kansas; farming duties, obtaining her teaching certificate, one room schoolhouse teacher. As a farm girl she knew how to grow wheat and sugar beets, drive a tractor and a combine, bail hay, cull cattle, prep chickens for the farmhand lunch meal.

Off to New Orleans where she served as a travel agent for Delta Airlines behind the counter of the Canal Street office.

From there she moved to Burbank, CA where she served as an account manager at the Thompson Escrow Office.

On the planter box in front of the Escrow office is where she met the handsome and charming Joe Doherty. Joe and Dorothy’s early dating life including smoking. This was a women’s rights and equity issue for Dorothy. She noticed that every two hours all the women who smoked could take a smoke break. If you didn’t smoke you were required to work.

Soooooo.....She took up smoking.

Lucky Strike was the brand that Dorothy and Joe shared on that planter box.

Dorothy mandated that Joe could date her by walking her to church for Worship and Choir practice. This then blossomed into Joe using his tenor voice in the choir under the leadership of choirmaster Bob McCarthy, where the organist / accompanist was Shirley McCarthy.

Joe and Dorothy were married at American Lutheran Church in Burbank. By 1953 and 1954 Teri Jo and Scott were born into the family system. That was when the smoking stopped, because Teri Jo and Scott were expensive additions. In Burbank, Dorothy returned to her beloved role as a school teacher.

In 1963 the family moved to Cupertino California, onto Waterford Dr. Joe was transferred from Lockheed in Burbank to Lockheed in Santa Clara.

Here is where multiple worlds collide.

Joe’s boss at Lockheed...Bob McCarthy.

Joe and Dorothy joined Immanuel Lutheran Church in Saratoga and soon started singing in the choir. Bob McCarthy the choirmaster, Shirley McCarthy the accompanist.

Dorothy took a job at Bethel Lutheran church as a Nursery School teacher. The director of the school, Judy Klinger, who lived two doors down on Waterford Dr.

Dorothy was a part time tutor to Chuck and Anita Farrell...next door neighbors on Waterford Dr.

As Dorothy’s time at Bethel came to a close she took on the position as primary receptionist at Interop. Her boss was the head of Interop, Dan Lynch. Dan lived three doors down on Waterford Drive.

She moved positions to Hospice of Santa Clara. She finished her work career as a casual bookkeeper and fact checker for a local CPA, Al Mouns. Judy and AL Mouns live...you guessed it ...next door on Waterford Drive.

Dorothy will be remembered by many as she was:

A loyal friend

An active listener

A sturdy conversationalist

A solid soprano and handbell player

A care-giving teacher

An excellent chef

A master of fluted celery

Humbly and fiercely devoted to her family

Always in love with Joe

A impressively loving mother to Teri Jo and Scott

A formidable and caregiving grandmother

A favored Aunt

A person whose walk with Jesus Christ was made evident by her uncompromising worship life, need for consistent Bible Study, unfailing prayer life, and a desire to show love and care to others by showing up.

As deeply as she cared for others that care was returned to her in manifold ways, the love that she cultivated was extended to her family in so many ways.

So it is that the family thanks her for her love and care,

and by extension they thank all of you for your love and care for her.

Graveside Memorial

A Time to Gather

Missed, Remembered, and Loved

Always & Forever

Dorothy Elizabeth Doherty