Dorothy Ann O'Hara

Heishman Funeral Home sends condolences to the family of Mrs. Dorothy "Dot" Ann O'Hara. Dorothy Ann O’Hara, 87, passed away on January 23, 2023, at Skyline Terrace Nursing Home in Woodstock, Virginia. She had been battling complications from advanced dementia. “Dot” as she was known to her family, friends, and caregivers, was born on February 9, 1935, in New York City, NY, to the late Walter E. Dillon and Veronica (McGowan) Dillon. Dot grew up in New York City as the youngest of five children, sisters Virginia and Vera, and brothers James (deceased at age 3) and Walter Jr – all of whom are deceased. Dot attended Mothers of Mercy Elementary and High School in Bronx, NY. She graduated from Fordham College in New York in 1956, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Education. She spent her first couple of years teaching 2nd and 3rd grade in the poorest and most crime-ridden areas of Harlem, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. During this time, she met her future husband through friend Mary (Sheridan) Fox on a blind date in the Bronx. Newly graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1957, Ensign James (Jim) Patrick O’Hara, Jr. and Dot dated for a year, and were engaged and married the following year on 19 April 1958. Dot supported Jim’s Navy career in submarines and telecommunications for his 22 years of service and retirement as a Commander. Dot’s military family moved twelve times (with 4 children) in a period of almost 30 years. Dot also continued her 35-year teaching career at various Navy stations all over the U.S., including Monterey, CA; Adak, Alaska; and Fairfax Virginia until her retirement from Fairfax County Schools. Dot and Jim raised a family of four children – Captain James Patrick O’Hara, III, U.S. Navy-retired; Walter Anthony O’Hara; and twins Margaret Mary O’Hara and Patrick Jude O’Hara. Following their respective Navy/Contracting and Teaching careers, Dot and Jim both worked tirelessly together as volunteers for Fish Organization and Bargain Loft, aiding thousands of struggling families in Northern Virginia by providing all kinds of services and financial help to the poorest of the poor in local areas like Reston and Herndon, VA. Dot and Jim were married 64 years until his death on 20 January 2022. Dot is survived by her four children and four grandchildren: sons CAPT USN-retired James O’Hara III (Ruth); Walter O’Hara (Audrey); Patrick O’Hara; and daughter Margaret O’Hara (Jen); and four grandchildren; Anne O’Hara, James O’Hara IV, Garrett O’Hara, and 1st LT Riley O’Hara U.S. Army/ADA. She was preceded in death by her husband CDR James P O’Hara, her parents Walter and Veronica Dillon, her brothers James and Walter Dillon, and sisters Virginia Lee and Vera Durning. An inurnment and committal service will be held in April 2023 at the U.S. Naval Academy Columbarium alongside her husband CDR James P O’Hara, Jr., USNA Class of 1957.

Dorothy Ann O'Hara

February 9, 1935 - January 23, 2023