Obituary

Mary Katherine Philpot (Dolan, Purinton), 95 years young, passed away peacefully at her home on September 22, 2013. Mary K. was born on February 10, 1918 in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Francis Dolan, MD and Marie Dolan (Skola). Her father was Irish and her mother Czech decent.

The family lived in several locations including New Mexico and eventually moved to Southern California and resided in Los Angeles. Mary attended University High School and UCLA. She worked at Douglas Aircraft. She married Fletcher Purinton in 1941 at the Veteran’s Chapel in West Los Angeles and was married for 20 years. She was the mother of 4 children. Following the passing of Fletcher, Mary raised her children and later met and married Eugene Philpot. They enjoyed traveling, gardening, sailing, art classes, reading, being part of the community centers, library and spending time with many friends and family.

After Eugene’s passing, Mary continued to be involved with her community, including working at the Friend’s of the Library Bookstore and teaching computer classes at the Laguna Niguel Senior Center. She met many people who became friends. She continued to travel to other countries and was always eager to learn about the history and culture. She met several long time friends on these trips. She also was interested in genealogy related to both her Irish and Czech heritage.

Mary is survived by her two sons, John Purinton and David Purinton (Diana); her daughter Barbara Thiese (Mark); and three grandchildren Kristen Martins (Jean Louis), Erik Purinton and Kira Purinton. She was preceded in death by her daughter Patricia Michelle Haw.

There will be a private graveside service for immediate family members at the Ascension Cemetery.

The family requests in lieu of flowers memorial donations be sent to Laguna Niguel Senior Citizens Club, Inc., 24602 Aliso Creek Road, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677.