IRIS McWILLIAMS

McWILLIAMS--Iris Dornfeld, New York, NY, novelist and widow of Carey McWilliams, the longtime editor of The Nation magazine, died yesterday at her home after a long period of declining health. Iris Dornfeld was born in Roseville, California 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 (deceased 1990), was born in 1942. The family moved to New York in 1950. Iris Dornfeld was the author of Jeeney Ray, published in 1962 by Viking Press, and of Boy Gravely, published by Knopf in 1965. Both novels achieved considerable critical success: Jeeney Ray was subsequently made into a movie for television. 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 (deceased 2005), and two step-grandchildren, Susan McWilliams Barndt (Claremont, CA) and Helen McWilliams (Allson, MA). Memorial contributions may be made to the Gay Mens' Health Crisis, Inc. or to the Coalition for the Homeless, both in New York City. Memorial Services will be Thursday, July 15th, 4pm at "The Riverside", 76th St. and Amsterdam Ave.