Dolores C. McCulloch passed away peacefully on 30 April 2021 at Inova Alexandria Hospital.
Born Dolores Ione Collier in Plankinton, SD, on 20 January 1927 to Guy Lawrence and Elizabeth Donegan Collier she moved to Washington, DC in 1944.
At the age of 17, she left South Dakota and traveled to Washington, DC to work for the Department of the Army’s Public Information Division as a Public Information Specialist at the Pentagon. She was part of the development of the Pentagon’s Early Bird, a collection of newspaper clippings from newspapers all over the country and world on military news and issues put together early each morning. For 65 years it was sent out across the Department of Defense (DOD) as a crucial news resource.
She was assigned to DOD Armed Forces Information School at Fort Slocum, NY in preparation to assume duties at the SHAPE Information Office in Paris, France. She never completed those orders having met and married Captain William L. McCulloch, USMC. She would travel with him to Hollywood, CA; Camp Pendleton, CA; Quantico, VA; Washington, DC; New York, NY; Naples, Italy, and San Diego, CA. Upon BGen McCulloch’s retirement in 1975 as the Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division they settled in Alexandria, VA. She was active in St. Stephens & St. Agnes School Mothers Club, Republican Women’s Club, Army Navy Country Club (ANCC) Tennis Team, and her USMC Wives Bridge Club.
She was married for 64 years to her beloved husband who passed on 26 May 2017 and she is survived by two sons (and daughters-in-law), William F. McCulloch II (Sandy) and Bruce C. McCulloch (Jenny); and six grandchildren William, Brian, Ashley, Connor, Will, and Declan. She was predeceased by her sisters Shirley, Lois, Evelyn, and Norma and her grandson Brendan C. McCulloch (survived by her sister Elizabeth Hanna & brother Jim Collier.)
A memorial service will be held at a future date at the Fort Myers Old Post Chapel, followed by burial at Arlington National Cemetery. A reception will follow at the ANCC.
Contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org
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