Colleen Ann Dorrycott

Colleen grew up on Notre Dame Avenue in the shadow of the Golden Dome. She attended St. Joseph Grade School and was a member of the first class to graduate from St. Joseph High School located in South Bend, Indiana. She was the middle child between older brother J. Terry Plunkett (deceased) and younger sister Patricia Plunkett Atwell.

Colleen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in elementary education from St. Mary’s College at Notre Dame, Indiana in 1961. While in high school and college, she worked at the Notre Dame Bookstore. She worked her way up, first starting in the stock room, and her claim to fame was marked as the first female employee to work the main floor.

She met her future husband, a Notre Dame student, while working the cash register at the bookstore. He thought Colleen was “the prettiest girl he had ever seen.” After a St. Patrick’s Day engagement, she married 2nd Lieutenant Joseph W. Dorrycott, in June of 1962 in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Their early marriage took them to Dayton, Ohio while Joe served as an Officer in the USAF at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. They welcomed their first two children, Joseph and Megan, during this time. Their third child, Maura, arrived soon after civilian life took them to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In her career, Colleen followed in the steps of a long lineage of teachers, including her father who was a biology professor at the University of Notre Dame and her mother who set up a one-room schoolhouse in Helena, Montana. Colleen taught at Jefferson Elementary School in South Bend. When in Pittsburgh, she became a substitute teacher at St. Bernadette’s Elementary and the Monroeville Public School System. She accepted many volunteer positions in the schools, and for several years she coached an undefeated girls’ championship softball team!

She started her own business in the early 80’s as a floral designer and decorator. Colleen was known for her beautiful homes; her business called “The Finishing Touch” contracted to consult and accessorize private homes, business sites and club houses. Her creative enterprise lasted for nearly thirty years from Pennsylvania to South Carolina.

After 28 years in Pittsburgh, she moved to Aiken, South Carolina when her husband was transferred with Westinghouse to the Savannah River Site. She acclimated immediately as a Northerner in the South finding a big group of friends through golf, tennis, a walking group and Book Club. She enjoyed various volunteer positions within the Ladies’ Golf Association of Woodside, The Women of Woodside, and the Aiken Women’s Heart Board. Colleen was also a dedicated volunteer for Meals on Wheels.

Colleen loved sports – both as a participant and fan. Her true passion was skiing, and she introduced her husband and kids to the sport. She spent over 50 years skiing out West and in the French Alps with groups of friends. She also enjoyed playing golf and tennis; she loved the camaraderie sports offered and was a well-versed, knowledgeable fan. Colleen currently holds the Dorrycott hole-in-one record with three! Notre Dame football and the Pittsburgh Steelers' schedules were always on her calendar. In 1973, she waited in line at the new Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh with her 6 year-old, to purchase 27 Steeler season tickets for friends and neighbors. Colleen attended at least one home Notre Dame football game for 73 consecutive seasons (missing only one year due to her husband’s heart surgery).

She embraced technology and was the first of her peers to own a blackberry which allowed her to text her grandchildren. She enjoyed social media, Venmo, group text messaging and all things Amazon. As an avid reader, she also loved her ever present Kindle.

Colleen Plunkett was proud and loud about her Irish heritage. Her email handle was “The Irish Princess.” St. Patrick’s Day was her favorite holiday. She loved the color green and considered potatoes to be a main food group. The Irish Claddagh symbol representing love, loyalty and friendship exemplified her life.

Her Catholic faith meant so much to her. For many years she was part of the St. Mary’s Aiken 24/7 Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration group. You would find her in the chapel every Thursday at 4:00pm. Her deep faith and quiet, spiritual life grounded her.

Recently, Colleen and Joe moved to The Woodlands, Texas to be closer to family. She quickly acclimated to her new life, making friends, joining book clubs and participating in bingo, yoga and water aerobics. “Bloom where you are planted,” she often said.

Colleen loved people. She made a positive impression on all who met her. She delighted in her children, grandchildren and “greats!” The annual 4th of July vacations on Hilton Head Island and fall football weekends in South Bend with family were her joy. A simple lunch with the kids at Chick-fil-A or a homemade “Grami-snack” brought just as much happiness. She often was proudly surrounded by four generations of family. She made the world a better place through the loving and caring way she touched the lives of all who knew her.

Her grit, grace, determination and good humor were evident during this last year as she battled cancer. Making friends along the way, celebrating small victories and rocking her new wigs with style.

She is survived by her husband Joe, her sister Patsy Atwell of Greenwood Village, Colorado, and her 3 children Joseph Michael Dorrycott (Lori), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Megan Dorrycott Parks (Michael) Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and Maura Dorrycott Price (Robert) The Woodlands, Texas. Her 6 grandchildren, Jack Parks, Connor Parks, Bryn Parks, Tyler Price (Annie), Tierney Price Kornet (Luke), and Brady Price. Her 5 great grandchildren Avila, Siena and Therese Kornet, Ellie and Wesley Price.

She was beloved by her nieces and nephews, extended in-law families, friends from South Bend, Pittsburgh, Franklin Heights Drive, Aiken and her new friends at the Village at Woodlands Waterway.

Funeral mass will be held on Monday, May 12 at 9:30 a.m. at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, 101 Basilica Drive, Notre Dame, IN with the Rite of Committal immediately following at Cedar Grove Cemetery on campus.

Memorial tributes in her name, may be sent to Aiken Women’s Heart Board, P.O. Box 5211, Aiken, South Carolina 29804 https://awhb.org