Doris Marie (O'Grady) Caldicott

Doris Marie (O’Grady) Caldicott

March 7, 1931 – March 9, 2023

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Doris Marie (O’Grady) Caldicott on March 9, 2023, just two days after her 92nd birthday.

Doris was an exceptionally humble, yet persistent lover-of-life, one filled with love, kindness, and joy. She was an avid reader with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge driven by her robust curiosity about everything–people, sports, art, culture, politics, music, and theater.  Above all, Doris felt the gift of being human which meant being with and among her extended and ever-growing network of family and friends. 

Doris’ early childhood unfortunately, was filled with a great deal of challenge due to family hardship. However, she was immensely grateful for the care and education she received at Mount Loretto on Staten Island, beginning at age 10. There, Doris thrived under the tutelage of nuns who saw such promise in her intellect and quiet drive to succeed, that they had her skip two grades on her way to high school graduation.

After high school, Doris went on to hone her typing and short-hand skills and landed a secretarial position on Wall Street. During a road trip with girlfriends, she met her bridge to the future, and love of her life, Jack Caldicott. His attention was drawn to the petite beauty, whereupon he quickly proclaimed to his pals, “the redhead, she’s mine!” They were married on June 10,1956 and the union yielded an unfolding rabble of sons: Brian (Dawn), Greg (Lorie), Glenn (Tricia), Dan (Kit) and Bobby (Amy).  Between baseball, football, hockey, and soccer the boys actually did their homework and made it through college.  But not without many visits to the emergency room along the way.

Having focused on raising her sons, she later fulfilled her lifelong ambition of attending college, graduating from the Harvard University Extension Program in 1985.

Doris’ grandchildren adored and admired her for her strength and compassion.  She authored the book “Bunny and Bear Travel North” as a love note to them and to inspire a fondness for reading. She found joy in golf, tennis, skiing, and travel; sailing on Farm Pond; singing show tunes with sister Mary and her husband Dick and performing in community theater. She was a member of the Sherborn Music Makers for 23 years and loved performing locally. She was an award-winning host of a local cable program “Arts Around Town” and an expert baker.

We will forever cherish the memory of our wife, mother, sister, and grandmother “Mumpsie”, our great Irish Rose. For, in the words of Irving Berlin, “The song is ended but the melody lingers on…” 

Doris was preceded in death by her parents Elizabeth (Moran) and Joseph O’Grady, and brothers, Joe and John. In addition to her husband Jack and their five sons, Doris leaves behind 13 grandchildren, three great grandchildren and her sister Mary (Dick) Mann and brothers Thomas and Michael. Doris also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews including Kathleen Mann, her honorary daughter, who lived with Doris’ family for a period and helped tame the male dominated home by contributing an additional female perspective.

A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, April 14 at 1 pm at St. Theresa of Lisieux Parish, 35 S. Main Street, Sherborn MA 01770. It will be followed by a Celebration of Doris’ Life from 2 pm until 4 pm at the Heritage of Sherborn, 33 N. Main Street.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to:

The Catholic Charities of Staten Island found at: cc-si.org

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