Dorothy Ellen Fitzgerald Tremblay passed away in her sleep on August 28, 2020. She had a tremendous impact on so many over her treasured lifetime. Dorothy was born on November 24, 1926 on a farm in Wisconsin. Her mother and father passed away while she was a child.
Her stepmother, Isabelle Fitzgerald, brought her to Spokane, Washington in 1946. It was there that she met the love of her life, Max Tremblay, at Gonzaga University. They married and had five children in Spokane.
In 1958, she and her husband brought their 5 kids to Hollywood, CA for a business opportunity with the House of Hollywood Cosmetics Company. When this business venture didn’t work out, Max told Dorothy, “if we have to start over, let’s do it in the most beautiful city in the world, Santa Barbara!”
In 1964, Max and Dorothy moved to Santa Barbara with their family and Dorothy got a job as a secretary at the Los Padres National Forest Service. She moved up the ranks quickly and became the first woman to achieve the position of “Personnel Officer” for Los Padres National Forest.
After retiring from the Forest Service at the age of 65, she came to work in the financial services arena for her son, Tim. She did an outstanding job there for 26 years! Her wisdom, intelligence, kindness and great sense of humor were a job to all.
Dorothy’s greatest treasures are her faith and family. She was a lector at Sunday Mass for Our Lady of Sorrows church for over 20 years.
Her husband, Max, passed away in 2001. She is survived by her five children: daughter Mary Catherine Swaneagle, son John Tremblay, son Tim Tremblay and his wife Marcia, daughter Moira Barbara Ruiz and her husband Mark, and daughter Margaret Mead and her husband Floyd. She has 14 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.
Grandma Dottie will be missed by so many!
