Dorien R. Mahoney

Dorien Mahoney was born on November 4th 1948 in Albany, NY. There are many facts about her life, but the story of who she was as a wife, a mom, a grandmother, a sister, a friend, a nurse, a musician, and most of all, a woman of faith - is something magical and mysterious. Anyone who was blessed enough to know her can attest to this. She made the most ordinary aspects of life seem imbued with a sense of sacredness. When she turned her attention to you, and asked about your life, she could make you feel like the single most special human on the planet.

Her wonder and awe at the glory of a sunset, a canopy of stars, a home cooked meal, and a beautiful piece of music was something to behold. Her pure appreciation for each person in her life, and gratitude for everything from a little bird in the yard, to being cured of cancer - poured from her with such ease that she seemed tapped into something divine.

And she was. Her faith is legendary - even among those who say they don’t believe in anything beyond this life. People who don’t believe in the power of prayer would still ask DORIEN to pray for them in their darkest hours. And if you were in her inner circle, you already know how she would answer when you asked her to pray for you. “I pray for you every morning.”

Her faith was one that would not dare to judge. In that way, she very much encompassed the true grace and mercy of Jesus. Her concerns about people did not stray into what was not her business, and stayed steadily in are they fed? Are they warm? Are they loved?

Dorien would leave everything to God, often telling her children to “be angry at God, he can handle it!” Dorien believed deeply that our God is an awesome God - limitless in power, but more importantly - limitless in patience, mercy, and forgiveness.

Her love for her husband, John Mahoney, is legendary. Two crazy kids studying at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY finally started dating their last year in college. When Dorien moved to Seattle, Washington to use her degree to teach Elementary School music - they both couldn’t take the separation. John went to get her, Dorien left her job, and they drove back across the country in Dorien’s 1969 mustang, with blue sparkle paint, and thus began many adventures on the road in vans with bands.

Dorien always championed her husband. Even to her very last days, where she was known to whisper to nurses that “my husband is famous.” Their love was not a marriage to be endured, but the true love of a lifetime. And what a blessing it was to witness.

Her loss is as profound as her legacy is immense. Trying to imagine the lives she has touched as a nurse, a nurse practitioner, a medical missionary, a musician who played nearly every church service for four decades at Metairie United Methodist, as a friend, as a sister, as a Mom, Grandmother “Gee”, wife, and woman of God… the scope of her grace is vast.

Great is thy faithfulness, Dorien Mahoney. And we are all blessed because we got to share this timeline with you.

Dorien is survived by her husband John Mahoney and their three children, and seven grandchildren: John and Annette Mahoney (parents of Ella, Linus, and Molly Mahoney), Ann Mahoney & Danny Kadar (parents of Rumsey and Teddi Kadar), David Mahoney & Terri King (parents of Taylor and Ryker Mahoney), as well as Tater the dog.

A visitation will be held at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, located at 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., New Orleans, on February 12, 2026, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. A funeral service will follow in the Chapel at 12:00 pm. Interment will be in Metairie Cemetery.

To view and sign the family online guestbook and share your memories of Dorien, please visit lakelawnmetairie.com

In lieu of flowers, donations in Dorien's honor can be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.