Doris (nee Goldberg) French, a cornerstone of community theater in Delaware County for over 40 years, passed away on June 21, 2021, in Glen Mills, PA. She was 96. Born and raised in McKeesport, PA, Dorie was often underestimated due to her diminutive size and meager resources. Exceedingly bright, she skipped two grades, and being younger than her classmates fueled a work ethic and drive that she carried throughout her life. She graduated from McKeesport High School at age 16, then studied at the Pittsburgh Art Institute. Dorie went to work for the National Security Agency in Washington, D.C., and it was there that her deep involvement in theater took hold. It was also where she met her future husband Orville French, a Navy combat veteran of WWII who returned from the Pacific to complete his college degree at George Washington University. The two appeared together in the famed Arena Stage's opening production, She Stoops to Conquer. At The Little Theater of Alexandria, they once performed for President Harry Truman; the President and wife Bess were so delighted by the performance that they insisted on coming backstage to congratulate the cast. Sharing this community theater passion, Orry and Dorie married in 1949, and were together for nearly 62 years, until his passing in 2011. The couple moved with their twin sons, born in 1954, to suburban Philadelphia, landing in Springfield, Delaware County, where they remained for 45 years. As Orry was then working in the book publishing business, Dorie hosted numerous luminaries at their home, including actors Joan Crawford and George Grizzard (a friend from Arena Stage), and celebrated author Adela Rogers St. John. As Dorie's sons became more independent, she took on part-time work with a milliner, capitalizing on her art background, and as an administrative assistant. In 1972, she began her run as the secretary to four different Springfield School District Superintendents, spanning more than two decades. She always made time to attend her sons' high school, college, and semi-pro baseball games. In retirement, Orry and Dorie indulged their love of travel, making stops throughout the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom. Dorie leveraged her artistic flair for many years on the makeup team (over 30 shows), often as makeup chair, and as an assistant director and drama coach, at the Players Club of Swarthmore (PCS). She even worked in properties and set construction! But it was when Dorie stepped on stage as an actress that she wowed audiences with her talent, timing, and insight. Her first acting role at PCS was as Dolly Fabian in Once More with Feeling in 1962. She went on to play roughly 20 more roles at PCS, ranging from slapstick to high drama, including: Elizabeth Corban in Catch Me if You Can; Marion Hollander in Don't Drink the Water; Norma Hubley in Plaza Suite; Mrs. Van Daan in The Diary of Anne Frank; and Clairee in Steel Magnolias. She was a master of accents, whether British, Irish, French, "Brooklyn", or Southern, from a bereaved widow in All the Way Home to Regina Giddens in The Little Foxes. Her final PCS role was in a production of Champagne Charlie Stakes in 2007. In 2014, PCS presented Dorie with a Member Laureate lifetime achievement award, the highest honor it can bestow upon a member. She remained a fixture in the audience, and an enthusiastic supporter, for many years after retiring from active participation. At the Maris Grove senior living community, where she spent the last decade of her life, she wrote a monthly poem for their NeighborNews newsletter, finding yet another outlet for her creativity and talent. Dorie was an avid baseball and devoted Phillies fan to the end. The Phillies' telecasts aired during her family's final visits with her. Dorie was predeceased by her younger sister, Estelle, and husband Orry. She is survived by sons Jeff (Anne) and Mike, grandchildren Cory (Jeff), Brian (Anna), Kyle, Matthew (Whitney), Allison, and Sean, and four great-grandchildren. She will join Orry forever in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. Services will be private. Memorial gifts in Dorie's name (indicate "In Memory of Doris French") may be made to the Players Club of Swarthmore, PO Box 236, Swarthmore, PA, 19081 The PCS website: https://pcstheater.org/
Published in the Delaware County (PA) Daily Times, 23 Jun 2021
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