Dorritt Hansen Rahilly

Cherished mother and wife Dorritt H. Rahilly passed away peacefully at her home in El Cajon on March 4 at age 86. She was married to engineer James P. Rahilly for 56 years until his passing in 2006.

Born in 1930 in New York City and raised in Brooklyn Heights, Dorritt was the daughter of Danish immigrants Anna and Eddie Mörk Hansen. At the age of 19, she graduated from the prestigious Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School in Manhattan, where she mastered shorthand and typing at 80 words a minute. Dorritt was such a standout that upon graduation, she was immediately hired by the heir to the McGraw Hill Book Company, Mr. Harold W. McGraw, Jr. But it was her singular beauty that inspired a photographer to feature her as a model in some of their textbooks.

Dorritt and Jim resided in Baltimore, MD where her daughter Kathleen was born; Framingham, MA where her daughter Kim was born; Santa Barbara, Menlo Park and Los Altos, CA where her son Jamie was born. The family settled down in the Fletcher Hills area of San Diego when Jim accepted a position as a satellite communications engineer with NEL/Naval Ocean Systems Center in Point Loma. Dorritt worked as secretary to the principal of the Grossmont Adult School for 20 years, and also taught classes in shorthand there.

Beloved by the community, she dedicated countless hours to the Music Scholarship Council of the Grossmont Community Concert Assn., formerly known as the Women’s Committee, of which she was president for three years and secretary for many more. She was instrumental in furthering the careers of many talented classical musicians and in bringing the East County Performing Arts Center to fruition. In addition, Dorritt also volunteered at Grossmont Hospital as a Pink Lady for many years.

She taught herself to speak Danish, enjoyed gardening, especially growing her prized roses, sewing clothes for herself and her children, traveling to Europe, modern dance, and swing dancing. Dorritt and Jim were members of the El Chobibo dance club in La Mesa for at least a decade.

She is survived by her son Jamie, who lovingly cared for her for in her later years; daughters Kathleen Sayer of Santa Maria, California and Kim Rahilly of Los Angeles; granddaughter Christina Sayer of Knoxville, TN; nephews Michael, Billy and Billy John Rahilly and niece Julianne Rahilly Bonura.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, March 11 at the Chapel of the El Cajon Presbyterian Church at 500 Farragut Circle and presided over by Reverend Dr. Steve Locke. She will be laid to rest at Greenwood Memorial Park alongside her husband.