Dorothy Claire McCorry

On November 12, 2021, Dorothy Claire McCorry of Annandale, VA, passed away at age 83. Dot, as she was known, was the proud mother of six beloved children and 17 beautiful grandchildren. She was predeceased by her loving husband, Captain John Hay McCorry (USN-Ret). She is survived by her brother Bill Curry (Nina), her children, Mary Wallace (Scott), John McCorry (Kim), Anne Marie Bolduc (Jim), Kate Grove (Shendan), Patrick McCorry (Lesley), Heather McCorry (Chris Balcik), and her grandchildren.

Dot was born in Brooklyn, NY, on December 16, 1937, to William and Dorothy Curry. She was a devout Catholic who attended parochial school until attending Hunter College to pursue a degree in nursing. She began her career at the Visiting Nurse Association of Brooklyn. She was married to John Hay McCorry on November 23, 1963, at Our Lady of Angels in Brooklyn, NY. She and John moved to Monterey, CA, following the wedding, as John attended the Naval Post Graduate School. The family moved from Monterey, CA, to Virginia Beach and eventually to Annandale, VA, where Dot lived for 45 years.

Dot was a devoted mother and wife who put her nursing career on hold while she raised her six children. When her youngest children were in elementary school, she served as the school nurse. Eventually, she went on to work as an oncology nurse at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA. Dot loved being a nurse and spent 23 years caring for people fighting cancer with compassion and dedication. She retired from nursing at age 73.

Dot’s first love was her family, but she also had many other passions. She loved spending time at her house in Bethany Beach, DE, which she and her husband John built together in 1990. She was a voracious reader of novels and the Washington Post, which she read daily. Her love of reading led her to volunteer at the library, and she also volunteered at a local shelter. Dot enjoyed playing bridge, which she did several times a week. In the last years of her life, Dot moved into Waltonwood Assisted Living in Ashburn, VA, where she found a revived zest for life with new friends, weekly bridge games, the garden club, and other pursuits. Everyone who knew Dot knew that she loved sweets and could never resist a good piece of chocolate.

Dot will be missed dearly by all who loved her, but all find comfort in knowing she is at peace and in Heaven. Friends may call at Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203, on Thursday, November 18, 2021, from 5 to 9 p.m. A mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, November 19, 2021, at St. Ann Catholic Church, 5300 North 10th Street, Arlington, VA 22205, at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow at a future date at Arlington National Cemetery. The family invites friends to join them at the Westin Arlington Gateway at 801 North Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA 22203, to celebrate Dot’s life immediately following the funeral service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Casa San Francisco (https://www.ccwilm.org/donate/donation-form/), which is part of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington and a charity that Dot supported for many