Dorothy Margaret Jamison McCoid

1922 - 2019

McCoid , Dorothy Margaret
Jamison
Dorothy McCoid, 96, died at West Friendship, Maryland on Thursday, January 17, 2019. Dorothy or "Dot" as she liked to be called is the widow of Colonel Chester Bailey McCoid and lived in the Westfield District of Middletown for forty years. Dot was an avid gardener, gourmet cook, and with Chester operated Alpha-Omega antiques for 23 years. Born in Limavady, Northern Ireland on June 17, 1922, Dot grew up on a farm during the Depression and graduated with honors from agricultural college. Serving on Saint John's Ambulance, she witnessed the bombing of Belfast during the Blitz in World War Two. Because of wartime shortages she once rowed a dingy across the mile wide Magilligan Straights to smuggle flour and sugar from what was then the Irish Free State. This was to enable the baking of scones for tea.
The McCoids, married for 54 years, met at a dance in Coleraine, Northern Ireland during the build-up to D-Day. Dot became the consummate military spouse and mother. Her "career" started with Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge and the Rhine crossing, which were accompanied by notifications of two Purple Hearts. Postwar, the McCoids' moved to the shattered remnants of Berlin, where Mack was born. 1947 saw her leave Berlin with less than 24 hours' notice because the Soviets detected Chester's espionage missions into Poland.
Dot was introduced to blizzards at Fort Hamilton, NY and dust storms at Fort Riley, KS. She spent her second war back in Coleraine, while Chester fought in Korea. Multiple household moves: Berlin, Riley, Bragg, Coronado, Leavenworth, Newport, Benning, Okinawa, Washington DC and finally Connecticut taught her the meaning of the phrase "three moves equal a fire", her possessions being smashed during the many moves.
The Vietnam War gave her the distinction of having both her husband and eldest son in combat simultaneously; this while caring for the other three brats. Chester and Mack accumulated 78 months "in country". Somewhere, those months included notification of a helicopter crash and another Purple Heart. After the war, she welcomed a family of eight Vietnamese (soon to be Americans) into her home for six months.
After Chet's death in 2000, Dot continued to serve, with her youngest son deploying six times to include a stint in Afghanistan. Dot marked 75 years of service to the nation as both an Army wife and mother. A distinction rarely matched.
Dot being a naturalized citizen was active in local politics with Chester. She regularly attended Town Council and Inland Wetland Commission meetings. She was a charter member of what became the Westfield Residents Association. Well into her 80s, she served as an election monitor at Spencer School in Westfield.
Not content to sit at home, she worked for a period of time at MicroGeneSys Inc., which was leading the search for an AIDS vaccine.
Dot is survived by three of her four offspring: Maureen Kennedy of Jupiter Point, FL; Scott and his wife Mary "Macaroni" McCoid of Ivoryton, CT; Naomi and her husband Ray Litecky of West Friendship, MD; a brother, Harry Jamison of Hobart Tasmania, Australia; seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Chester and oldest son Chester "Mack" McCoid (who is survived by his wife, Mary "Potato" McCoid from Jacksonville, FL). Graveside services will be held at Miner St. Cemetery, Westfield District, Middletown, CT on Saturday, April 27, 2019. In lieu of sending flowers, plant some daffodils, she'd like that.