Dorothy Elizabeth McGuire

The daughter of Ambrose and Elizabeth Gettier, Dorothy spent her early years in Hamilton, MD. After graduating from Eastern High School, she began work as a secretary. June 23, 1940, she married William R. McGuire, who became credit manager at Crown, Cork and Seal. They became one of the first 30 families to move into the new Loch Raven Village rowhomes. In 1957 William was transferred to the Philadelphia office, where they lived in Abington, PA until William retired in 1972, when they moved to Naples, FL. After her husband died in 1989, Dorothy moved to Columbia. In 2005 Dorothy moved to Vantage House.

Dorothy has always been active in her church: singing in the choir as a teenager, then teaching Sunday School, working on craft and sewing projects for charity, and serving on multiple committees.

An excellent seamstress, after moving to Florida, she began quilting, producing many beautiful hand-stitched quilts. She made quilts for all the members of her family and every new baby. When she moved to Columbia, she joined the Milltown Quilt Guild, where her quilts won awards at the bi-annual quilt show. She won a first-place ribbon for her Baltimore Album quilt at the Howard County Fair. She made children’s quilts and knitted blankets for hospitalized children through Project Linus. She lived a life of service, donating several hundred blankets and quilts to children and also for people in nursing homes.

Dorothy was pre-deceased by her husband William McGuire. Survivors include her daughter, Linda Yergey (Barry Hommerbocker) of Ellicott City, son William McGuire, Jr. (Susan McGuire) of Leesburg, and son Brian McGuire of Takoma Park; grandson A. Karl Yergey, granddaughters Beth Scalese (James), Amy Yergey (Robert Gibbs), Valerie McGuire (Zubair Abdullah), Tiffany Moore (Christopher), Melinda Villalba (Juan); and 10 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by step-granddaughter Karen Conlon, and step-grandson David Hommerbocker (Susan Mankin) of Arlington, and one step-great-grandson.

A Memorial service will be held August 14, 2021 at 1pm at New Hope Lutheran Church, 8575 Guilford Rd., Columbia. Covid restrictions will require attendees to register in advance with the church. A reception will follow at the Witzke Funeral Homes, Inc. 5555 Twin Knolls Rd., Columbia, MD 21045. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Dorothy’s honor to Vantage Point Employee Appreciation Fund, 5400 Vantage Point Rd., Columbia, MD 21044 or New Hope Lutheran Church.

The family wishes to extend thanks to the nurses and all the staff who provided such consistent, loving care to Dorothy over the nearly 12 years that she was cared for in assisted living at The Residences at Vantage Point.