Dorothy B Schneider

was born on November 13th, 1924 to the late John and Ethel McBurney

in Hemet, CA.

John was a farmer, mail carrier, builder and inventor. Her mother was a homemaker and

award winning artist. They were avid dancers. As a child, Dorothy performed along with

her parents as a Spanish Dancer in the Annual Ramona Pageant. Early on Dorothy

exhibited athletic abilities. She would walk up and down the stairs in a handstand as well

as in a backbend. Also, she was won the Doubles Tennis Championship in High School.

After graduating from Hemet High School in 1942 she moved to Longbeach, where she

found clerical work. In 1943 her adventuresome spirit led her, along with her sister

Miriam, to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory to work for a company that was building a

pipeline.

After the war she returned to Longbeach, where she met a handsome sailor named John

at a USO dance. After a whirlwind courtship they were married in 1947. Their son,

William arrived in 1948, followed by Joanne in 1950 and Kurt in 1955. In 1952 while

John was overseas, Dorothy was hit by a truck that ran a red light just as she was crossing.

After 3 months in the hospital she returned to Hemet, where she was reunited with her

children, who had been lovingly cared for by her parents. When John returned from sea

he was stationed in San Diego, so the family moved there.

In 1960 John, too, suffered a horrific car accident, and spent 18 months in the Navy

Hospital. He was told that he would never walk again, but, he did! Needless to say, this

ended his Navy career, and he soon became a realtor. John sold the house in Hemet and

bought a “fixer upper” in San Diego. It was Dorothy who did the lion’s share of the

“fixing” since John was disabled. For the next decade this process was repeated, so the

family moved about twice a year, but remained in the San Diego area.

Once the children were grown Dorothy and John settled into their last home together.

Dorothy enjoyed being in a place long enough that she could participate in the

community. She enjoyed attending the Crest Christian Church, as she had an abiding

Christian faith. In October of 1977 John passed away of cancer at the age of 52. The

cancer was caused by radiation exposure from the atomic bomb tests on the island of

Bikini in 1947. He was on the USS Atlanta just offshore. Dorothy found employment with

San Diego County as a transcriber until she retired at the age of 67. She moved to

Lynnwood Mobile Home Park in El Cajon, where she made many life-long friends. While

living there she went on cruises with Miriam and friends, as far as Australia and New

Zealand. Their final cruise was to Loretto in Baja California, Mexico. Joanne, Dave & Jenny

joined them on this one.

In 2004 at the age of 80 Dorothy moved to Boulder, CO, to be close to her daughter and

family. She resided in an independent apartment at Golden West, where she felt at home

with her new friends. She enjoyed activities such as Wii bowling and tennis, Sit and Be Fit

and the knitting group. She loved spending time with her grandchildren (Jonathan and

David and his wife Jenny) and great grandchildren (Kaela, Walker and Alex). She

graciously watched kid movies. She played board games with them, be it checkers,

backgammon or risk. Dorothy enjoyed many amazing holiday dinners at Dave & Jenny’s

home. Sadly Dorothy’s son Kurt, who was living in Atascadero, CA, passed away on March

6th, 2018 at the age of 63.

Dorothy had been struggling with worsening health issues in recent years, including the

loss of her eyesight. During this past year she was looking forward to her greatest journey,

the one where she gets to be with Jesus and all her loved ones who have gone before her.

On June 11th she suffered a stroke. She suffered a second stroke 6 weeks later, and

lingered over two weeks more. After a visit from her daughter Joanne, she passed away

peacefully. Although Dorothy endured many hardships and sorrows during her life, she

possessed a resilient, grateful and loving heart. She was loved by all who knew her, and

she will always live in our hearts.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Dorothy's honor to Golden West Community at https://www.coloradogives.org/GoldenWestCommunities/overview.