Obituary

Dori (Delores) Jean Hodowanic Soroe died peacefully and entered the eternal sanctuary on Wednesday October 12, 2022 at the age of 91. She is survived by a sister-in-law Adrienne Davis, two nephews, Mark and Keith Hodowanic, their spouses, and children. Born in Chicago Illinois and raised on a farm in Wisconsin, she is the daughter of the late John Hodowanic and Mayme Palmer Hodowanic, and sister to three deceased brothers, John, Gene, and Wayne. Dori married her longtime love, a retired WWII Air Force pilot, the late Major Louis H. Soroe. A devoted stepmother, Dori spent years caring for David Soroe who eventually passed away following complications from MS. Dori and Lou lived fifty years in their beloved boathouse along Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans Louisiana and at their “Bluewater” home on Crooked Island, Bahamas. She loved to watch the brilliant sunrises and sunsets, boating on the lake, and soaring through the clouds with Lou in their Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft. Dori possessed a deep love of mother earth and she shared that love by cultivating gardens at the homes of her closest friends. Her zest for life was unsurpassed except when it came to everything New Orleans…king cake, oysters on the half shell, the New Orleans Saints football team, and the Deutsches Haus. Her deep respect for our military service men and women inspired her to promote and support the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and its yearly Stage Door Idol contest. In 1986, Dori made her television debut, appearing in a news documentary about the “Miracles in Medjugorje.” Dori had been affectionately dubbed “freak of nature,” because her energy and stamina outpaced much younger women. Her clever wit, irresistible charm, and generous nature will be missed by a multitude of friends who were captivated by the joy of this exceptionally gifted woman.

A funeral Mass will be held Thursday October 27, 2022 at 1p.m. at St Joseph Abbey, St. Benedict Louisiana. Interment will be at St. Joseph Abbey cemetery. In lieu of flowers please make a donation in Dori’s name to the WWII museum, or www.Fransiscanworks.org/donate.