Our beloved Mother, grandmother, great grandmother, Dorothy Dandignac passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 19, 2018 after a short bout with cancer. She was a wonderful, loving person, who will be forever in all of our hearts.
Dorothy was born Oct 10, 1934 in Liverpool, England to Robert and Elizabeth Foster. She was one of 7 children and was raised during WWII. She endured much hardship in her childhood as she was separated from her family for 5 years as a young girl due to wartime evacuations. She had to re-learn English upon return to Liverpool as she only knew Gaelic from spending 5 years in Wales.
At age 21, Dorothy made a brave decision and moved to the US “to become a star”. She was very courageous as she left all her family and friends behind to begin her new journey. She met the love of her life, Eddie, shortly after arriving in NY and they were married on Feb 8, 1958. They settled on Long Island, NY and raised their family. Her family was her world.
She is survived by: Her son, Daniel and his wife Kelly, son Timothy and his wife Kathleen, daughter Juliet and her husband Christopher and her daughter Heather and her husband Steve.
She has 11 beautiful grandchildren: Tara and her husband Aaron, Melissa and her husband Andrew, Ryan, DJ, Drew, Michael, Taylor, Sarah, Alex, Isabella and Aaron. She has 2 great grandchildren, Jaxson and Addison and baby Coulson on the way.
Dorothy was the consummate homemaker and mother. Growing up, our home was always the center of activity in our neighborhood. Dorothy always made sure to have plenty of extra food on hand to feed any neighborhood kids that came over to play. She opened her home without hesitation.
Dorothy was an active volunteer at hospitals for over 2 decades, spanning 3 states. Dorothy and Eddie retired to Florida in the mid 1990’s and enjoyed 7 years there with wonderful friends. They then transitioned to Texas in 2003 to be closer to family, which by this time had grown considerably. Her time spent in Austin revolved around her kids and grandkids. Dorothy lived out her role of grandmother while photographing every event and supporting all 11 grandchildren every step of the way. Her impact on their childhood was integral and her courageous ways live on through them.
She was fortunate enough to befriend some very special people at the Anderson Mill Senior Center several years back. She truly enjoyed the time she spent there and cherished the friendships that she made. Her family is so thankful that she had such a wonderful group of people in her life over these last few years.
Dorothy was truly a unique, beautiful soul. Those who knew her, realized how special she was; a loving, compassionate person that always had a bright smile and kind word. She was so sweet and kind almost to the point of being naïve at times. Growing up, we heard many funny stories about her, but one in particular stands out. When dating Eddie, she had spaghetti for the first time. She asked sincerely “what type of tree does macaroni grow on?” Eddie, always the prankster, spun a whole tale about large macaroni orchids that had all kinds of trees- some with spaghetti, ziti, elbows etc. It was a few years before she learned that pasta did not grow on trees.
Dorothy was also known for her colorful clothes. She did not care much for blacks, grays or neutral tones. The brighter and bolder the print- the better. We will always remember her bright, positive light. Her caring, loving heart will stay with us forever.
A memorial service will be held August 23, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. at Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills funeral home located at 9700 Anderson Mill Road, Austin, Texas.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy my be shared at www.cookwaldenchapelofthehills.com for the Dandignac family.
