In Memory of: Dorothy E. Birrane!
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I had known Dorothy for over 16 years and had thought of her as my "Italian" mom.
The fact is everyone who met her and knew her, thought of her as their "other" mom, and loved her like their mother. She was always smiling and interested in whatever was going on in your life at that particular point in time and talking to her was always enjoyable and fun. She was truly a beautiful person and someone who I will miss, but am glad I met her as she made a positive impact on my life.
I have now lost 2 moms to cancer and it strengthen my resolve to continue with cycling and to continue to raise money to fight this disease that has taken so many awesome people from my life. Dorothy, you are gone but not forgotten and you will always be in my thoughts when I am on my bike. Whether it be on the indoor trainer or on a ride out side with my Team in Training team mates, you battle with cancer is "why I ride."
The Safford family loves you and misses you.
Below is the obituary of Dorothy and it did a great job of explaining her life and and paying tribute to her numerous accomplishments.
- Ms. Birrane passed away on December 29, 2006 at her home in the Wakefield section of Dulaney Valley from duodenal cancer.
- Ms. Birrane was an accomplished and published writer and poet. She was a member of the Wednesday Writers, which meets weekly at the MAC in Timonium. She was a contributor to the group’s latest publication, “Filling in the Dash,” published in 2003. Her prose and poetry were included in performances of the group’s work at Theater Hopkins.
- Ms. Birrane was an avid gardener and derived great pleasure from creating both a well-appointed home and beautiful outdoor spaces. Throughout the 30 years that she lived in Wakefield, she entertained frequently and her parties included a broad cross-section of people and generations. Ms. Birrane was very active in her Wakefield Community Association and served as in various offices of the organization, including the office of president. Ms. Birrane was also a classically trained pianist whose favorite works included Rachmaninoff and Chopin.
- Ms. Birrane was born on March 2, 1937 in Baltimore and lived her early life in Pimlico and Mount Washington. Her father, Ernest Piersanti, a barber by trade, was a well-known businessman in the Pimlico area. He owned the Paddock Lounge and was active in horse racing. He owned and raced several thoroughbreds in the 1950s. Her mother, the former Fernanda G. Serra, was a homemaker.
- Ms. Birrane was a graduate of St. Ambrose School, Maryvale Preparatory School (1955), and Villa Julie College (1957).
- Ms. Birrane married Edward J. Birrane, Jr. in September, 1959. Mr. Birrane was the Maryland Insurance Commissioner in the 1970s, was a prominent local attorney, and was well known for, among other things, his Irish tenor voice. Mr. Birrane passed away on March 4, 2001. (Additional information about Mr. Birrane is available in the extensive obituary published by the Sun at the time of his passing.)
- Ms. Birrane returned to school in the mid-1980's, taking courses at Goucher and the College of Notre Dame. It was there that her life-time love of literature and writing began to blossom. She was a frequent contributor to Maryland Magazine and other local publications. Her early pieces focused on perceptive but humorous observations on everyday events, particularly regarding family life.
- Ms. Birrane joined the Wednesday Writers in the late 1990's. The group, which grew out of Notre Dame’s Renaissance program, focuses primarily on memoire writing. Ms. Birrane was one of the most respected writers in the program. Her work was sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant; but it was always imaginative and lyrical, painting incredible word portraits about people, places and events. Her work communicated her compassion, her kindness, and her capacity to see the value and the meaning of the human experience in each person and each event.
- Ms. Birrane is the sister of Ralph E. Piersanti, a retired Baltimore county school teacher and well-known local actor. He hosted a local television series for children in the 1950's and was a regular player with the St. John’s Players, Theater Hopkins, and other theater groups. Mr. Piersanti, and his wife Anne were part of the group of local actors that formed the original Center Stage.
- Ms. Birrane’s oldest daughter, Kathleen A. Birrane is an Assistant Attorney General assigned as Principal Counsel to the Maryland Insurance Administration. A second daughter, Lisa M. Markovitz is the owner of JRL & Associates, a Howard County asset recovery service. Her son, Edward J. Birrane, III, is a computer scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. He engineered the software that guides the space probe to Pluto and is currently engineering the software that guides the operation of the next generation of the “bionic arm.”
- Ms. Birrane’s son-in-law, Paul Markovitz, formerly head of the National Commons Project, is Chief, Security, Architecture, Policy and Plans Branch, of the Division of Information Systems for the National Science Foundation. Her daughter-in-law, Linda Birrane (nee Myer), teaches at the Catholic High School in Baltimore.
- Ms. Birrane is survived by 3 grandchildren: Julia E. Markovitz, a freshman at Notre Dame Prep; Anna V. Markovitz, as 5th grader at Resurrection-St. Paul School in Ellicott City; and Kaitlyn I. Birrane, age 3 months.