One year ago... prayers for peace in the afterlife, Doreen.

Doreen, the light of your smile and being will always remain with me. I miss the gift of you so much, how lucky I was to have known you.

Thinking of you, Doreen :'-(

Miss you, Doreen, and think about you a lot when I walk around the neighborhood that you loved! ❤️

Doreen, you are missed. Your shared your love of nature, art, Buddhism, yoga and the healing arts with everyone you encountered and we are all the better for it. You were an amazing friend and teacher. I miss you very much.

In the past year I have walked past the building where Doreen lived and I spent time with her. I am always reminded of what a kind soul she was.

This is such sad news. My heart aches for the O’Sullivan family and for Doreen’s friends who have lost this truly special person.

Doreen and I were childhood friends in Schoharie County. We spent our freshman year together at Notre Dame High School. That summer Doreen, Mary Pracher and I worked as mother’s helpers on Long Island. I had mentioned that I hoped to get to see the new musical "Grease" while we'd be working in New York. Doreen left the mother’s helper job after our first week and went to stay with her aunt in the city. About a week later, Doreen called to tell me that her aunt wanted to treat the three of us to see Grease on Broadway. Although her aunt bought the tickets, it was Doreen who made my summer. What a wonderful experience for us. Such a generous gift and a cherished memory.

That fall I transferred out of Notre Dame High School and returned to my local public school. Afterward my friendship with Doreen waned. Learning of her passing was a zip ride back to childhood where big dreams and old friends endure. A square from that patchwork quilt is gone, but after reading the tributes and watching the video, I see a fabulous woman has claimed that child’s space. I’m so sorry that I lost touch with Doreen. I am delighted to learn of all her accomplishments. I would have loved to hear her tell me about her travels, philosophies and prescriptions for an old lady’s aches and pains. I can picture us lingering over a cup of tea (perhaps garnished with a delectable guerilla-garden weed) as though we’d picked up from just yesterday.

Thank you for creating this website and for reintroducing me to Doreen O’Sullivan. Such a generous gift and a cherished memory.

I recently learned of Doreen’s passing from Brideen O’Donnell Finegan and am so sad to hear of the O’Sullivan family’s loss of such a beautiful soul. I remember Doreen as a young child and teenager with a radiant smile and a gentle, kind spirit. Your mother Joan was a very holy, gifted woman whose courage, spirituality, and loving heart were inspirational as we were all growing up in Schoharie County, traveling to Notre Dame and Bishop Gibbons. Over the decades I would hear about the creative and adventurous O’Sullivans, and I am so glad that Doreen lived such a full, happy life - -generous towards others, reverent towards nature, grateful for creation. May your memories comfort and bless you even as you grieve this loss.
Sincerely,
Kathleen McNamara Conway

Love all the photos missing her is sad, I did not know it's so....

Memories of Doreen from the Veggie Nuggets
Coach Sheela: I’m not sure when or how we met Doreen, but from the time we met her in 2020, she was immediately a friend to us all and a mentor to our youth group, the Veggie Nuggets. She joined our virtual calls to share stories and ideas, she emailed us with events and resources, and she came to our in-person meetups on the weekends. The Veggie Nuggets were interested in urban gardening, and that was a perfect match for Doreen: she scoped out spots for us to garden, she helped us clean and plant in our eventual spot on 69th street, and she brought numerous seeds and little plants she had started in her apartment for us to put in the ground. Her creativity and energy were magical and we will miss her spirit in our garden and in our hearts.
Abderrahman:
She was definitely a big influence towards us. And our garden. Let's be real- If it wasn't for her, we probably would not have a garden at all. Or it wouldn't be half as good as it is. She's been there from when the garden was just another "landfill" where people threw their trash and the homeless would utilize for some, questionable actions... Look at what that place has become since. A garden that has bore such beautiful greenery, a mural that spans the wall where the tracks are. And in general, it's become a nice place for people to stop by. I'm sure Doreen would be proud. And I too, wonder what's next for the garden.
Anand: Doreen was always coming up with new ideas, helping us with any problems we might have had in our garden. I remember she suggested digging up the blocks from tree beds that were suffocating the trees and using them in our garden. She was so creative, connecting problems, and growing two flowers from one seed.
Lillian: When I first came to the Veggie Nuggets, Umed told me Doreen was a free spirit and every moment I’ve spent with her has proven that to be true. She was always so kind and caring but she was also strong and she always did what she thought was right.
Taye: Doreen was always very kind to us and brought us seeds for our garden or help us clean up the garden. Whenever I would see her in Jackson Heights she always took the time to say hi and ask how my family was doing.
Umed: I remember once she gave some bug repellent to Taye once because she was itching a mosquito bite. It was very kind and caring of Doreen to do that.
Coach Duncan:
Doreen taught us.
Guerilla gardening:
The practice of finding those patches of dirt who quixotically
heroically
against all odds
magically emerge from concrete to see the sun
and feel the rain.
There! Doreen would say:
A seed belongs there!
And from those seeds
untold wonders
beauties
wild things
will be born, again.

I will always remember the first time I met Doreen — we were roommates at my first Grail Wellness weekend in Cornwall. Though I only saw her a few times after that, are paths once again crossed. This past summer we met up again at Cornwall, this time in the garden!

I will always remember Doreen as a beautiful soul who planted the seeds of love and wellbeing with such care wherever she went. She was generous in giving herself, her knowledge and her time to others. She will be truly missed on this earth, but she remains with all those who she touched in this life in our memories and in her spirit.

Until our paths cross once again, love to you Doreen
❤️Louise

On this day of Doreen's Celebration of Life, a favorite, sweet and funny, quintessential Doreen memory comes to mind that highlights her generous spirit, healing talents and unique nature. The O’Sullivan family moved to Schoharie, NY, in approximately 1967 when I was 11 and Doreen 10 years old. Our families, the O’Donnells and O’Sullivans, both large Irish Catholic families living in rural upstate New York, grew up together. In 1979, I, Rez (and Anne for a short time) moved to San Francisco. Doreen arrived a little later and lived there for a time with a break to travel to China to study acupuncture. During a downhill skiing trip, I tore my anterior cruciate ligament and Doreen offered to give me acupuncture treatments. I readily accepted as I did not want surgery. I arrived at Doreen’s flat and she brought me into her treatment room. She took out a bottle of dark smelly liquid and applied it to my swollen knee. The bottle was labeled only in Chinese so I could not see what it was. I said, “It smells like soy sauce.” Doreen looked quizzically at the bottle and responded, “Hmm….maybe it is.” I lay down on the massage table and Doreen inserted needles in my knee, leg, abdomen, head and other points on my body. She then shut off the lights, lit a candle and said softly, “I’ll be back in an hour.” As I lay there, relaxing, my eyes slowly drifted open. I looked over at the candle, set inside a cardboard box that had been turned on its side, and noticed, to my alarm, a large black burn mark expanding quickly on the cardboard above the flame. I yelled frantically, “DOREEN!!! She came running into the room and quickly blew out the candle. We both sighed with relief that a potential disaster had been averted and I resumed my relaxing, healing session. Weeks later, when I went back to the orthopedic surgeon, he told me my ligament looked like it had healed substantially. I never did need surgery and have had full use of my knee throughout my life, hiking, dancing, bicycling, etc. I have always credited Doreen with restoring my joint to excellent health with her generous and somewhat magical healing methods.

I feel deeply grateful to have spent some time together this past winter. Aunt Doreen’s sensitivity and compassion are overwhelmingly apparent in how she showed up for me, and for the rest of her family and community. her passing is painful but my tears are a testament to her unique expressions of care and love that she went out of her way to show me. Aunt Doreen wanted to know my goals and concerns and would offer advice and guidance that always showed me a new way to think about the world. Her genuine care for my health, my artwork, and my wellbeing motivate me to care about myself and my future too, which is beautiful and invaluable. the world is a little less scary and makes a little bit more sense having known you.

I love you unconditionally aunt Doreen, it is a privilege to be your niece. Your individuality, generosity, and care will continue to influence myself and your loved ones, you are dearly missed and cherished.

This is what I wrote to Rez when she shared the news.

Doreen was my acupuncturist, then my friend, for more than 35 years. I always looked to her for advice on my health problems. She was always the cheery optimist, believing anything could be healed with holistic medicine.

I can't imagine the world without her.

I will miss her wackiness and curiousity about every healing modality under the sun that has nothing to do with Western medicine. 

I never knew a person more positive and upbeat than Doreen. She saw life with no blinders on, no filters. I was the opposite. I looked around, cynically, bracing for the worst in people, only to be surprised and relieved to find people who were good to me and others. She trusted complete strangers, truly believed that all, or at least most, people were kind souls. She had almost a childlike wonder about the world. 

Of course, this blissful openness, one of her strongest positive qualities, made her gullible and easily deceived. 

One time, perhaps 25 years ago, she took me to a lecture on Tibetan medicine at the Alternative Therapies Clinic ar CPMC. It was really a rambling talk in a small conference room before 20 people. The guest of honor was the long-term personal physician to the Dalai Lama. 

Doreen sat, absolutely mesmerized by every word the Tibetan monk spoke. She had that broad smile of hers that made her face glow.

At one point, the monk, who was supposed to be "training" other health practitioners on specific techniques in Tibetan medicine, went off on tangents. 

He announced that everything was medicine. Every breath. Every step. Just opening your door in the morning and walking out into the world was medicine.  Even on rainy days. Everything, everywhere offered healing. If you stepped into a puddle, you should thank the puddle, because the puddle was healing you.

Poetry, yes. Meditative insight, yes. Practical, pragmatic medical training for other professionals? No.

Rez, I thought the guy was tripping. 

I rolled my eyes, then looked over and saw Doreen furiously taking notes. To her, this Tibetan monk shared "pearls of wisdom" he'd brilliantly discovered. The cure to cancer. The key to immortality. 

To me, he was standing in a puddle.

After the monk's "lecture", participants eagerly lined up to get his autograph, ask him more about "the meaning of life". Doreen even bought his expensive, hard cover book. 

I began to doubt this man, with his acid flashbacks, had any formal training in medicine. I felt like I was in a Borat movie. 

That was just one of many dozens of unique experiences I had with Doreen over the years.

I mean, it was always interesting. At heart, I've always been a hippie. I never turned down another opportunity to enjoy Doreen's company.

I wish I had her joy. Being with Doreen was like swimming underwater in a Discovery Channel documentary. Scuba divers swirled around, throwing open the curtains to reveal a previously unknown, unimaginable world rich with wildly diverse deep sea creatures and plants. Vivid, brilliant colors. Startling shapes. Striking designs. 

Talk about the healing power of stepping into puddles.

Doreen was a unique force in the universe, a woman who generously shared her healing energy, enthusiasm and creativity with the world.

She will be greatly missed.

Love,
Tina

Doreen was one of the great Jackson Heights women. I attended several of her yoga classes and we would see each other in the neighborhood. Her passing comes much too soon but her life's work remains in our hearts.

Here's a Tribute from Julia O'Connell, who is traveling now, and unable to post:

I met Doreen many years ago, about 40, during our formative years in SF
We shared many fun adventures exploring the Bay Area
Making pottery in the tenderloin neighborhood, caring for her foster children, camping and hiking in Marin county, cooking up unusual mixtures of whole grains, seaweed and herbs Helping patients.

I worked at a local hospital and on one occasion she came to help one of my patients using her energy skills to deescalate symptoms of emotional trauma in a young girl. It was the only thing that appeared to make a significant difference! And Doreen did this for free with absolute commitment to a process she felt could help and it did

We kept in touch when we both moved east and I had the privilege to help her at the end of her life. 

She also was committed to the process of having a “good” death and I was able to witness how that can be done. I served as one of her health care proxies and she told me she wanted to live but when it appeared that it really was her time to leave, she was irresolute in summoning courage and grace to do that in a peaceful and joyful way

She thanked me for coming to help her and expressed gratitude for my efforts despite initial physical discomfort that at the end she was able to transcend to have a peaceful passing. A truly peaceful passing…

Thank you Doreen for all you gave to us and shared
See you on the other side!
Julia Higgins O’Connell

  I met Doreen through my Tibetan teacher Gen-la Lozang Jamspal. We had many adventures together over the years. She is a spirited explorer – of nature, plants, pets, visual arts, music, healing arts, and Tibetan-Buddhist art, culture, religion. The skills that she perfected as a certified yoga teacher, acupuncturist, and Chinese herbalist made her unique. She offered much advice on what to eat, how to eat, and what not to do! (Never drink water with ice because it will interfere with proper digestion). She almost always had a special food item or bag of herbs, which she was bringing to a friend, as she helped many people with their ailments. When she taught summer school a few years ago, she spoke about the projects that she created for her students, and how she skillfully managed classroom behavior and got her kids to listen to her! Not an easy task with fifth graders!
   Special memories that I have of Doreen include translating texts with our Tibetan teacher, exploring parts of Queens, walking in Central Park during the peak of spring blossoms, talking and learning from each other about health, healing, and Buddhism, and most of all - her warm, radiant smile. Doreen connected with people easily, warmly, and generously. She will be missed by all who knew her.

What a huge, painful loss. Doreen was a very special, caring, giving friend who will be greatly missed. ❤️

I will always remember Doreen holding up the Unisphere, strong and smiling. How she respected Mother Nature and loved all the Earth’s plants and animals. On sunny days planting flowers on 34th Avenue and along the highway on 69th Street. Long walks which were made even longer as she stopped to speak to friends and make new ones. Trips to her favorite place for fresh squeezed juices. Evening yoga classes and morning tai chi practice. Chatting on the swings in Travers Park. Her mischievous smile and the sparkle in her eyes.
All this, I will miss.

Doreen’s wonderful vibrant presence will be missed in our Jackson Heights community. She will always be in our hearts.
Doreen gave me a ticket to go with her to see the Dalai Lama at the Beacon Theater. I will always remember that generous gift and the special experience we shared. Thank you Doreen.❤️

Doreen was a light-filled and loving soul. She lived in our ashram for a number of years and her humor and good-heartedness uplifted us all. She led a yoga teacher training with me in India; her knowledge and care for each student made for a very memorable program. Though I haven't seen her in recent years, I can feel the loss. Doreen made the world a better place. Om Shanti Om

Doreen was such a unique spirit and did her best to help others and the planet. She was a light in Jackson Heights and will be missed

I am so sorry and saddened to hear of Doreen's passing. I moved to SF in 1983 and Doreen was the first or one of the first persons to open the door for me at 2133 Hayes Street (I think that's the correct number). Mark Wald was also living there and we had been housemates in Binghamton, NY in the Fall of 1978 before he traveled cross country and landed in SF. Mark wasn't even home when I arrived with all my stuff including my dog Tara. It says a lot that I was warmly and generously welcomed by Doreen and her other wacky and fantastic housemates. Turned out I had met Doreen before; in NYS! Her and Katie O stopped in Binghamton for a trash pickup organized by NYPIRG to advocate for the "Bottle Bill" to promote recycling (it became law in 1982). That open door on Hayes Street took me into an amazing circle of people, including the O'Sullivan clan. I met Mom and Aunt Doreen, and spent time with all the sibs (some more intimately than others, if you know what I mean ). My heart goes out to you all, family and friends of Doreen. She was one of a kind! xoxoxox

Doreen always brought light and energy with her. I would often chat with her along 34th Avenue and she would always have ideas on how to build community. She was very kind to my mother when she was ill. Her passing is a great loss for the entire community.

I got to know Doreen when I moved to Jackson Heights. When I think of Doreen, I think of her cat Samantha, her interest in the environment, healthy and safe food.
Also when I think of her I think of butterflies, gently attending to all of her passions.

doreen will be missed she was a very sweet big sister

Lovely Doreen. I feel the Big Sting and Sorrow of your passing. I ponder what life would have been like not having known you; then I feel Big Gratitude that that was not the case. Thank you for knowing your grace, and for the deep love I feel, always to remain, because of the Gift of You.

Aunt Doreen spent her life pursuing ways to heal herself and others, but her tenacity and dedication to the practice has never been more apparent than it is now. It’s deeply touching reading about all the lives she touched and lent her expertise to. I hope her long-lasting memory will help serve as a reminder and inspiration to remain steadfast in our desires to better the lives of those that we love, those that love us, and any being that is in need of support ❤️

I had the pleasure to know Doreen and experience her wisdom and healing . We will miss you !

I am grateful to have spent what little time I did with Doreen. She shared herself openly and lovingly. She seemed to have an endless curiosity about life and whatever she discovered was willing to share!
She introduced me to acupuncture which opened up an entire world to me - as did her cupboard of grains!

Doreen, Your spirit and passion for life was a gift to all who knew you and all you touched and will forever be a part of the fabric of the universe. Rest In Peace.

Res, Denis, Anne, Katie, Sean, Kieran & Chris, you have all known loss and yet you rally and love fully with abundance, gratitude and grace. I’m sorry for your loss - grateful for your love of family. <3

I met Doreen over a dozen years ago, though exactly where and when I do not remember. It seems our paths were always crossing at various neighborhood events, whether it was gardening, a yoga class she was teaching or other community event. A few years ago I was having a lot of trouble with my feet and went to her for acupuncture treatments. From there it was massages and further yoga classes. She was so authentic in her desire to help you heal. She went above and beyond, always following up to see how I was and offering suggestions. Two years ago when I was running a summer gardening camp for kids at a local school and needed another teacher, I thought of her right away. She was great with the kids. Last year when I was diagnosed with cancer she was so generous in spirit, bringing healthy food to my home and getting me supplements which I truly feel helped me heal faster. Although she chose not to go the route of western medicine, she never tried to dissuade me from the treatments I had chosen, but supported me in anyway she could. I often walked by her building and saw her out gardening...I will truly miss seeing her in the neighborhood. May her spirit soar.

Dear Rez, Denis, Anne, Katie, Sean, Kieran, and Chris – Gina and I are so sorry to learn of Doreen’s death. Sending you sincere condolences, and thinking of Doreen and all of you with warmth and affection. Also thinking of your loved ones who have gone before, including Donal, Aunt Doreen and, of course, your Mom. Here’s a poem in Doreen’s memory. It's a bit irreverent but I think it might make her smile.


My Funeral

Will my funeral start out from our courtyard?
How will you get me down from the third floor?
My coffin won’t fit in the elevator,
and the stairs are awfully narrow.

Maybe there’ll be sun knee-deep in the yard, and pigeons,
maybe snow filled with children’s laughter,
maybe rain with its wet asphalt.
And the trashcans will stand in the courtyard as always.

If, as is the custom here, I’m put in the hearse face open,
a pigeon might drop something on my forehead: it’s good luck.
Band or no band, the children will come up to me—
they’re curious about the dead.

Our kitchen window will watch me leave.
Our balcony will see me off with the wash on the line.
In this yard I was happier than you’ll ever know.
Neighbors, I wish you all long lives.

by Nazim Hikmet
(trans. from the Turkish by Blasing and Konuk)

I have known Doreen for many years -- in fact, I am not sure how or when we met. She often showed up at my house to help with issues great and small. After my husband had a heart attack, Doreen was there to offer comfort and suggestions. She put us in touch with the local Tibetan doctor to help with my husband's issues. She would come over and help me work in my garden, often bringing gifts of various kinds -- tomato plants, gifts of food. Since the pandemic, I would see her often on my walks through the neighborhood, and we would walk together for a while and talk about our experiences with Chi Gong, gardening, traveling, etc.

Last year, I had been walking in the neighborhood when I came upon a squirrel that had been hit by a car, but was still alive. I wasn't sure what to do, and I looked around for some way to convey the squirrel to a local vet where I hoped the vet could relieve the squirrel of its suffering. As I was trying to figure out what I could do, I ran into Doreen. I told Doreen that I wanted to find some way to take the squirrel to a vet, but Doreen was not in favor of euthanizing the squirrel. She found some cardboard somewhere on the street and fashioned a little shelter for the squirrel. I have such a clear memory of Doreen, in her bright red hat and her big, blue eyes, lifting the squirrel up to her face, smiling into its eyes, and saying "Well hello there!" to the squirrel. She sat with the squirrel, and we kept it company as it passed.

I will miss Doreen's gentle and loving spirit.

I did not know Doreen in her adult life, though on occasion we exchanged greetings on FB. Doreen’s family was among our circle of friends growing up in Schoharie, New York. When her mother moved her family there, the O’Sullivans joined us other Irish Catholic ‘immigrant’ families to that rural and quite waspy place. Along with being part of the occasional family gatherings, she and some of her brothers and sisters came to our home now and then to be watched over by our mother while their mother needed to be out and about dauntlessly tending not only to the needs of her children, but also finding the time give to the church and community. Reading about Doreen’s life and achievements, one can see the roots of her journey ushering help, kindness, and peace to others were most certainly planted by her mom.
Truly sad to read of the passing of such a kind and generous soul.
Rest in peace Doreen.

'purpose..is to practice peace'

What an essence. Thank you, Doreen.

I met Doreen in 2005 when she was teaching Yoga to the kids in the afterschool program where my daughter went. She struck me at first as wacky and vague - it didn't take long for her humor, generosity, and keen sensibility to win me over.  I took Yoga classes with her myself, at her home and elsewhere, and we became friends.  We had very different styles and habits, which sometimes clashed, but we respected and enjoyed and cared for each other. I took care of her cat,  used her compost bin - let her use mine. We would fall out of touch and back in with ease and affection. We laughed a lot. She was extraordinary and odd - wilful and kind, brilliant and silly, straightforward and reserved - and unceasingly dedicated to the well being of others. As a devout Buddhist, she is doubtless moving onward with joy to her next stage. As an inveterate freethinker, I mourn her loss and cherish her memory. Namaste, Doreen.

It was a shock to hear of Doreen's passing. I didn't know her well, regretting a missed opportunity there. She was so passionate and active in many causes to make the world a better place. She often sent emails to alert me about local events.
I will miss meeting her in the neighborhood, and spotting her in her red winter hat along the boisterous sidewalks of Jackson Heights. She certainly left a mark in my world, her spirit will remain to light the way.

I met Doreen in 2010 when I started visiting my new love Paul who lives a few doors from where Doreen lived. Paul introduced us & we became fast friends who liked a lot of the same things like alternative therapy’s , I am a Craniosacral therapist. We often worked on each other! I luckily got to work with her one last time this past Nov.! We also loved gardening & I helped her with her many local projects. Unfortunately I live upstate & only visit Jackson Hts a few days a month & during the pandemic I came less often.
I will miss Doreen a lot. She became my JH yoga teacher & I so enjoyed the classes she did in different apts with her students.
I have included the only photo I have of Doreen, taken in 2017 at an event we went to at a local school for community building
So happy that I was able to visit Doreen the day before she died
It was a lovely and spiritual visit. I meet family & friends & she seemed comfortable & at peace❤️

Doreen lived a unique, contrarian, and soulful life right to the end. As a younger brother I could be subject to her disappointed penetrating gaze when I failed to live up to her version of reality, but my respect for Doreen, for her character and her sense of fairness and justice soared in the last several years.

She was always dedicated to making connections and sharing what she knew. No-one in our family of nine children reached out as thoroughly or knowledgeably as she, in touching base with our family tree, the cousins, the second cousins, the great-aunts and connections to our mother’s connections, both familial and institutional (the grail, etc).

She never chose an easy path, and explored a number of religious paths, settling on Buddhism—and healing paths, in particular acupuncture. Her choices at the end, avoiding hospitals and western medicine, were her choices to make. I respected her for her courage and strength to the very end.

We had a deadbeat dad as a father, and she spent some time in the past 3 years in successfully getting some justice for the family by recovering a bank account that had been dormant for 20 years after his death and splitting it amongst the neediest of our family. She always had a sense of fairness, and worked hard to help everyone… she was a thoughtful and giving person, even when she really couldn’t afford to give.

Doreen, you were an independent and strong character, self-powered, self-confident, and I grieve for the suffering you had in you life, while I am so happy for the friends you created around yourself, and the people you inspired along the way.

Knot in my Throat
Her always cheerful, sincere voice still in my ears
Always helpful yet so clever and witty...
Connected
Like a radar so sensitive to another person's feelings
Even from across the world
A surprise call just at the right time
Tears in my eyes
Even though I know she just transcended boundaries
Hard to grasp which Realm is real enough to be called Reality
She is missed
Truly
Being selfish at this point...
Sadness is what reigns
At a loss
When the music stops
Yet ringing in our ears
Until we dance again
Doreen, thank you for shining on our lives
Veena Burcin O'Sullivan

On behalf of the Schoharie Central School Class of 1975, I would like to offer our condolences to the family. Doreen was an unassuming, gentle and principled soul who was kind and friendly to all who took the time to interact with her. She always met you with a smile and was genuinely interested in what you did and were doing. In the last couple of months I spoke with her about an upstate friend that she was trying to assist with health concerns, never once mentioning her own health issues. She was selfless and will be truly missed.

I believe her spirit is with me in ways that i had never anticipated at this moment. She is a person that i am just now realizing i need to emulate, as in her gift of healing all she touched, loving her environment. And to her stubborn patience she showed to me, also she tamed forgiveness in a harsh world to make it that much brighter.

Thank you Doreen for your friendship during the last few years of your relatively short life. I am enriched and grateful.

A few summers ago, Doreen told me that she and the kids tried to plant in the 34th Avenue median, by St. Mark's but the soil was so hard, they had to plant somewhere else. That fall, I got a good bunch of daffodil bulbs. I arranged with Doreen a planting schedule. She said, "We have to do it soon, before it gets too cold". On the appointed Saturday morning, a bunch of people showed up, courtesy of her connections. One of them identified himself as "the Machete guy". Doreen showed him where to loosen the massively compacted soil. At the end of the workday, the man gave Doreen his business card and excitedly showed it to me saying, "Look!" I got one too. It read "Rafael R_______, Community Gardener". And so, to Ann and Rez, should you come upon Doreen's earthly possessions a card that reads as such, know that is the Machete guy.

Doreen, I regret not going with you to Cornwall. I trust those Tithonias are doing much better than their counterparts here with the hard-knock urban, floral environment.

Rest in Peace!

I am in shock & heartbroken over this news

You don't know what you have until it's gone.

I did not know Doreen well, but she made strong and positive impressions on me, and by all reports, made the world brighter when she was here. 
Sincere Condolences to all the family. 

John O'Sullivan

Doreen was a wonderful Yoga teacher and friend. I will miss her classes and her light filled smile. Her heart was loving and helpful. I miss her classes and teaching skills. I think of her when I exercise and relax with breatheing routines, Rest in peace, Doreen.

Doreen was my yoga teacher and friend for 15+ years. Her weekly yoga classes were a lifeline for me. For some time pre-COVID, I hosted her yoga class in my apartment on a Saturday morning. She always gave so much of her time and energy. She truly was a healer. I am saddened and will miss Doreen so very much. I feel so very honored to have known her and to have received the benefits of her generosity and healing.  My condolences to her family and friends. 

生生生死生
死生生死生
死生生生死
死生死生生
During many lifetimes, birth and death are present.
giving rise to birth and death.
The moment the notion of birth and death arises.
birth and death are there.
As soon as the notion of birth and death dies,
real life is born
-- Thich Nhat Hanh

Doreen , dearest heart of peace, 
for Many years you led the  wonderful Saturday morning Yoga during Cornwall on Hudson Grail retreats... 
One weekend, I was early and sat quietly in the Phoenix  living room  waiting for the session, as Doreen  performed her own yoga routine. She was like a dolphin playing in the ocean.. up, down, and all around, for a good half hour straight.. It was poetry in motion! A gift to witness!

Doreen also offered us acupuncture... very stimulating... which helped cure my knee pain.  Her commitment to loving the earth, and its creatures was unparrelled.

  June 2022, we planted seeds together in the Cornwall garden. She was so meticulous and caring with planting and enthusiastically  shared how she tended roses and plants, a phantom gardening, in the only bed near her apartment building in Queens, NYC... 


She loved helping all creatures grow and did not mind making  2+ hour trips, by  subway, train, and car,  to Cornwall to do so...  Never did I hear her complain! 


Her love of life, her gregarious nature, sharing about our Catholicism,  and diverse spiritual natures...  Long phone conversations... i will miss and cherish memories!

Her deep loving care for Cornwall, I cherish in my heart. Most of all, her shining-as-the-sun disposition. 

My deepest sympathy goes out to her family and yoga peers, and to Mary Fordham and Cindy Cheyne who spent most of the gardening time with Doreen this year. 


 Samantha your cat is meowing your welcome, with the choir of angels, in heaven!  

Rest in peace and power Doreen! 

Carolyn Vadala
NJ