Dorothy MacDonald

She was the first of three children born to Rudolph and Marguerite Schnurer in College Point, and graduated from Flushing high school at 16 years old--the youngest person ever to do so at that time. “Dottie,” as she was then known, worked for her father at his furniture upholstery company in Manhattan. Her mother was a dressmaker and both parents were heavily involved in Queens Civics.

Dorothy volunteered as a U.S.O. girl during World War II, where she met her husband James. They married at Fort Totten in Bayside, NY in July 1944. Shortly thereafter, James was off to U.S. Army training and spent several years in Europe. Dorothy patiently waited for him while continuing to live with her parents in Eastern Flushing.

She worked as a school secretary for over 25 years and thereafter took on her favorite job--being a grandmother of five and a great-grandmother of four, with another now on the way.

Dorothy loved to decorate and continued to do so through the end of her life, filling her home with paintings and knick-knacks to suit the season. During her retirement, she focused on her paintings and artworks, was a member of the Great Neck Woman's Club, and spent her last days spending treasured times with her family.

She tended to be quiet and shy but, underneath it all, she was very smart, strong, practical, and dedicated to being the best she could be for her family.

Dorothy MacDonald will always be loved and remembered. Now she is with James, her siblings, and parents. May she Rest in Peace.