Doris Fawcett McPartlan

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Doris Fawcett McPartlan, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, who left this world peacefully on June 2, 2025, in San Jose, California. She was 91 years old.

Born on November 12, 1933, in Buffalo, New York, Doris grew up with an adventurous spirit and a determination to make a difference in the world. She attended Michigan State University and graduated from Texas Women’s University after her family moved from New York to Fort Worth, Texas. She was a dedicated parishioner at St. Patrick’s and enjoyed singing in the choir. It was in Fort Worth where she met a dashing young man from Leitrim Ireland, Peter McPartlan and they were married in 1958. They were blessed with four sons and remained in Fort Worth until the family moved to Westminster, California in 1974. Peter passed in 1980, and Doris restarted her career to support her family. She moved to Northern California starting in Saratoga and ending up in Carmel.

Throughout her remarkable life, she dedicated herself to a career marked by love, resilience, and grace. She worked for several prominent companies, including Bell Helicopter, Ling-Temco-Vought, Southern California Edison, the DeLorean Motor Company, Hughes Communications (DirecTV), Aspect Telecommunications, and Synopsys. Her contributions to these organizations reflected her unwavering dedication and professionalism. At age 80, she finally retired and then volunteered with the Carmel foundation and the Carmel mission.

Above all, Doris was a devoted and loving mother to her four sons, Kevin, Sean (Kyoko), Tom, and Terry. She cherished her role as a grandmother to her four grandsons—Peter (Denise), David, Matthew, and Bryan—and delighted in the joy of being a great-grandmother to her precious great-granddaughter Ava. Her family was her greatest pride, and she leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, and enduring strength.