Dorothy Dempsey

Dorothy Constance Dempsey

February 6, 1925 - Mach 14, 2019

Dorothy Constance Dempsey, age 94, passed away peacefully in Novato, California on March 14 with family at her bedside. Days before, she looked to the heavens and said "hi Tom." When asked by onlooking family, she said that her husband Tom was waiting nearby.
She was born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa with her parents, Linus William and Mary V. Conlon. She is survived by her sister Beverly (Herbert) Weidinger and was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Thomas G. Dempsey, three sisters and a brother – Kay Hoffman, Donna Feldman, Eileen Beadle and Don Conlon. Surviving are six children, Michael T. Dempsey, J. Terrence (Cindy) Dempsey, Kevin Patrick Dempsey, Timothy William Dempsey, Mary Colleen (Kevin) Needham and Kathleen Marie (Kurt) Dodge. The delight of her life was to tell that she had 21 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Dorothy wrote a letter to her family, giving them a sense of her. It opened with "I never set out to move mountains but I've climbed a few." She had a dream, as a girl in Iowa, that she would someday move to San Francisco. She met Tom, and they married and moved to San Francisco to start their life and family together. She worked long enough to help earn a down payment on a house and for the next thirty-six years, they raised six children. The letter belied her accomplishments and expressed her love for Tom and his accomplishment in rising to S.F. Police Captain and Chief of the Airport Police. She extolled on her family and their accomplishments – five S.F. Police Academy graduates, one son graduating with a Master's degree from UCLA, one daughter graduating from Dominican College, earning her RN and one daughter graduating from NDNU with a Master's degree. What Dorothy didn't write about were her accomplishments. Beginning at age 68, she completed ten consecutive Bay to Breakers, she walked the Golden Gate Bridge, with family, for as many birthdays as we can remember and she participated in the Senior Games. She also didn't write that she was eco-green back when green was just a color. She was acknowledged by the City of San Francisco and the S.F. Call Bulletin for her efforts at water conservation and recycling - receiving a meritorious award from the City she loved so much.
Dorothy never drove a car, she loved to walk. She was not extravagant. She was frugal and a master at getting the highest quality and value for the best price. Generous with her time to neighbors and friends in need, she could be counted on to do the right thing.
She loved to sing, especially at St. Gabriel's Church and had a beautiful singing voice. She loved reading to her children and grandchildren and she would delight them by reciting the alphabet backward. She amazed them when she recited the book – The Digging-est Dog – from memory. Her favorite end of the day task was the Daily Jumble and her chocolate cakes are a lasting memory for all that partook of them.
The Dempsey family would like to acknowledge and thank Creekwood Senior Home in Novato for the excellent care our mom received in her final years, and Hospice by the Bay for their kindness and care in her final days.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her name to Project Night Night (http://www.projectnightnight.org/). This organization donates over 25,000 Night Night packages each year to homeless children.
Funeral services will be held at Duggan's Serra Mortuary (500 Westlake Avenue) with viewing at 5pm and rosary at 7pm on Friday March 29. Mass will be held at St. Gabriel's Church (2559 40th Avenue, S.F.) at noon on Saturday March 30. Mass will be followed by a procession to Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma.