James Chancellor Dorsey went home to be with the lord on December 2nd 2019 after fighting an aggressive leukemia and outliving prognosis from his doctors. Born to the late Robert and Florence Dorsey on September the 23rd 1946 in Jacksonville Florida. Jim was married for 33 years to his beloved wife, Mary McGoldrick Dorsey. They met in Savannah after Mary heard him give a solo performance of Ave Maria at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Jim was a cantor for the liturgy at the Cathedral for many years. They were the proud parents of two rambunctious wirehaired fox terriers, Chessie and Snappy. Distinguishing himself professionally, Jim retired after 39 years of service with the United States Government, first with the Corp of Engineers and later with the Department of Defense. Additionally, he served four years active duty with the US Air Force and twenty years as an Air Force reservist, retiring with the rank of Major. He attended seminary at St. Bernard Abby in Cullman, Alabama, where he received his undergraduate degree in Philosophy; subsequently, he earned a master’s in library science from the University of Kentucky, Lexington. Known for his thoughtful and gentle spirit, Jim also had an unexpected sensed of humor, which was brought-out by Mary. They both had a keen appreciation of nature and spent many enjoyable hours hiking in the mountains, walking on the beaches and watching birds in their back yard. The McGoldrick’s always had an unwavering love for Jim, saying he was not a brother-in-law, but another brother. He is survived by his loving wife, Mary McGoldrick Dorsey, of Alexandria, VA, his sister, Deborah Dorsey Ward of Virginia, and nephew, Michael Ward of Texas. He is also survived by the McGoldrick siblings, Thomas (Molly), Stephen, Kevin, Monica, Lawrence (Karen) and Graham. Services were Private and at the request of the family. Jim was laid to rest at Quantico National Cemetery with full Military Honors due to his outstanding service with the united states Airforce . In remembrance of Jim the family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the leukemia foundation.
Our thoughts are with Mary and family. In just a little while all of the pain and sorrow that we feel from the death of our love ones will cease and be replaced with joy, because the former things are passed away. Thinking of you all.