Dorothy Louise O'Dwyer

Dorothy Louise O'Dwyer died on November 1, 2020 in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, at the age of 79, following years of Parkinson's disease. Dorothy was born on August 14, 1941 in Glendale, CA. After high school and some community college, she became a religious sister for 10 years as a member of the Sisters of Providence in Washington State. While there, Dorothy received a bachelor of arts degree from Seattle University and taught elementary school for a number of years. She married John in Burbank, California on March 31,1973. Dorothy and John were both teachers in Burbank, Dorothy at a Catholic school and John at a public school. Later they moved to Canyon Country, California. Before the birth of their first child, Dorothy and John had both stopped teaching. She advised John to become a computer programmer which he did for 30 years. Always open to new experiences, Dorothy and her girls accompanied John on a 1- year assignment in Yokohama, Japan and, a few years later, on another 1-year assignment in Montreal, Canada, followed by 8 months back in the states in Arizona. She was an active Catholic. When their 3 children were small, Dorothy and John went to Europe where John had lived for 5 years and she visited Lourdes, France. After her children were older, she returned to work as a special education aide. In 1994, when John was laid off, Dorothy and her family moved from California to Gautier, Mississippi. She worked at several of the local libraries there for many years. She traveled to Europe several times. Dorothy survived Katrina in 2005, but lost most of her possessions. In 2008, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Despite that, Dorothy and John made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She was very active in the local Catholic Church until her health deteriorated. In 2011, she and John bought another house in nearby Ocean Springs to be walking distance from a Catholic Church. In Mississippi, Dorothy was active in the Catholic Cursillo community. She and John coordinated their local monthly meetings for several years. Dorothy loved to read and worked in libraries in both California and Mississippi. She enjoyed watching favorite TV shows and was devoted to her family. Dorothy was a very humble and patient person who loved God and everyone. She will be greatly missed by family and friends. Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, Crescent Sandoval and Lucy (Sauceda) Sandoval. She is survived by her husband, John O'Dwyer; children, Sheila O'Dwyer, Colleen O'Dwyer (Frits van Gansewinkel), and Maureen Thompson (James Thompson); grandchildren, Alexander “Xander” and Olivia “Olive” Thompson; and sisters, Alice Sandoval and Beatrice “Irene” Sandoval. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Ocean Springs, Mississippi on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, at 11:00 a.m., with a viewing from 10:30 a.m. until Mass, and she will be buried at 2:30 p.m. the same day at Biloxi National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul organization which is starting a new thrift store in Ocean Springs to help the needy, with a long-term goal of starting a homeless shelter on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Website: www.svdpos.com/donations