Mrs. Dorothy Joan (Noneley) Quilter of Somerville, formerly of New York City and beloved wife of the late Thomas F. Quilter, passed away at the Tippett Hospice House in Needham on Monday afternoon, July 27, 2015. She was 94 years old. Born in Warrington, England, on July 4, 1921, she was the beloved daughter of the late Richard Stanley and Olive (Jeffries) Noneley.
Mrs. Quilter served in the Police Department in Warrington, in World War II, and was a homemaker and Legal Secretary in New York for many years. A self-described, "people person," she enjoyed a good party and especially loved to dance. Her motto was: “a little of what you fancy does you good.”
She kept her relationships current, staying in touch with her many friends and family in England, Canada, and Peru. She hosted many family and foreign visitors at her home and travelled widely when she had the chance. She made friends everywhere she went, from the Muslim souvenir vendor on the corner across from St. Paul’s Chapel, in lower Manhattan, to college professors, to lawyers and crooks on Madison Avenue. She survived bombing in World War II and saw both planes hit the towers on 9/11 while having a coffee on the other side of the street, and she made it through the falling debris befriending a young woman in the process. In advanced age, she also went through Hurricanes Irene and Sandy with the same pluck and verve as she had lived the rest of her life.
She lived most of her life in New York in Long Island City and Astoria, Queens, and was a resident of St. Margaret’s House in lower Manhattan for over a quarter century. She was a loyal parishioner, in succession, of St. George’s Church, Astoria, NY; Trinity Parish (St. Paul’s Chapel), Manhattan; and Grace Church, Medford, Mass, and she was an Associate of the Sister’s of St. Margaret. She volunteered her services at the churches she attended and at St. Margaret’s House where she served as President, Vice-President, and Treasurer of the Resident’s Association there.
She always retained her English identity, having come to America as a G.I. War Bride, but also became a loyal New Yorker. She moved from St. Margaret’s House, in lower Manhattan, in January 2014, at the age of 92, to Somerville, Mass, to be closer to her family and, as she said, while she was “still young enough to enjoy it.” And she did, making many friends at the VNA Assisted Living Residences in Somerville and at Grace Church.
She is survived by her loving son and daughter-in-law; Jeffrey and his wife Sarah M. Quilter of Somerville, brothers; Frank Noneley of London Ontario, Canada, and Raymond Hale of Brighton, England, grandchildren; Susanna S. Quilter of Jamaica Plain and Elizabeth M. Quilter of Northampton and many nieces, nephews and friends. She was also the sister of the late Stanley Noneley.
Her Funeral Service will be held at Grace Episcopal Church, 160 High Street, Medford on Monday, August 3, 2015, at 11 AM. Relatives and friends are most welcome to attend. Interment will be privately held at a later date. Flowers may be sent to the church or donations in her memory may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, 160 High Street, Medford, MA 02155 or to The Sisters of St. Margaret, St. Margaret’s Convent, 50 Harden Hill Rd, Duxbury, MA 02332. For additional information, please visit, www.magliozzifuneralhome.com.