Iris Dornfeld McWilliams

McWilliams, Iris Dornfeld
December 18, 1912 - July 7, 2010
Iris Dornfeld McWilliams, novelist and widow of Carey McWilliams, California historian and longtime editor of The Nation magazine, died at her home in New York after a long period of declining health. Iris Dornfeld was born in Roseville on December 18, 1912, the daughter of Percy and Etta Hewitt Dornfeld. She attended Sacramento State College, transferring to Mills College, where she graduated in 1935. She worked as a teacher and in the theater before marrying Carey McWilliams in 1941. Their son, Jerry (dec. 1990), was born in 1942. The family lived in Echo Park before moving to New York in 1950. Iris Dornfeld was the author of "Jeeney Ray" (Viking, 1962), and "Boy Gravely" (Knopf, 1965). Both novels achieved considerable critical success, and "Jeeney Ray" was later made into a television movie. Her husband died in 1980. She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Nancy McWilliams of Flemington, NJ, widow of her stepson Wilson Carey McWilliams (dec. 2005), and two stepgrandchildren, Susan McWilliams Barndt of Claremont and Helen McWilliams of Allston, MA. Memorial contributions may be made to the Gay Mens Health Crisis or to the Coalition for the Homeless. Memorial Services will be Thursday, July 15, 4 pm, at The Riverside in New York City.