Dora Frances Kearsley was born on Sunday, September 8th, 1929 in the Westchester County village of Croton-on-Hudson, just a few minutes after her identical twin sister, Doris Mary Kearsley. Dora was the fifth child born to Crosby Kearsley, Sr., and Harriet Willis Kearsley, and is one of six siblings: Irene, Evelyn, Corene, Doris, Dora, and their younger brother, Crosby Kearsley, Jr.
Crosby and Harriet Kearsley raised their close-knit family with lots of love and prayer in Croton-on-Hudson. They grew up in intimacy with extended family members, including Dora’s grandfather, Joseph Kearsley, the head of the family, affectionately known as Grandpa, as well as Crosby’s older brother Delmar, his wife, Corene, and his younger brother Bill and his wife, Sylvia. With so many siblings and cousins living nearby, Dora grew up amid lots of positive role models and playmates.
Dora attended public school in Croton along with her siblings and cousins. After graduation, she moved to Ossining, N.Y and rode the Metro North Railroad into New York to work for several firms, ultimately becoming an Executive Administrator in the New York State Public Employees Federation until her retirement in 2016.
Throughout her career she was active in many professional and social organizations, particularly those that strive to support the progress of African Americans and women in business.
Dora loved art and was an avid collector for more than fifty years, as evinced in her catalog of paintings entitled, “The Dora F. Kearsley Collection.”
In her nineties, after a long and very active life, she moved to a rehabilitation center in Yonkers where family and friends visited her and held birthday celebrations for her and her twin sister, Doris.
Dora passed away on February 5th, 2024 at 94 years old and was predeceased by her siblings Evelyn Kearsley, Corene Marie Washington, Doris Kearsley Brooks, and Crosby Kearsley Jr.
Dora’s oldest sister, Irene Kearsley Billips, survives her, and she will be deeply missed by her and a host of nieces and nephews to whom she was quietly supportive and generous, and by many cousins.
Memorial Services for Dora will be held on Friday, March 1, 2024 at 11:15 am to 12:15 pm at the EDWARD F. CARTER FUNERAL HOME, 41 Grand St., Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Burial of Ashes will follow at Bethel Cemetery also in Croton-on-Hudson, NY.
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