Obituaries

Dorothy B. Graham Language teacher

Dorothy B. Graham, 91, who taught English as a second language for the World Bank from 1967 to 1990, died of pneumonia Oct. 16 at Arleigh Burke Pavilion, a nursing home in McLean.

She was born Dorothy Huntingdon Brunel in Portland, Maine, and was a 1940 French graduate of Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Mass. During World War II, she was a Red Cross volunteer in England.

In 1966, she moved to Alexandria, where she lived until she moved to McLean in 2004.

She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Dames of the XVII Century, the National Society of New England Women, and the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts.

Her marriage to retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Gordon M. Graham ended in divorce.

Survivors include three children, Eloise G. Brooks of McLean, Helen H. Stubbs of Merritt Island, Fla., and Gordon A.E. Graham of Gig Harbor, Wash.; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

-- Lauren Wiseman

D. James Lantonio IRS, Law Firm Executive

D. James Lantonio, 69, an Internal Revenue Service senior executive and human resources official who moved into law firm management, died Oct. 2 at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington County. The cause of death was septic shock.

Mr. Lantonio worked at the IRS from 1963 to 1985, rising to assistant commissioner of human resources. He then took positions overseeing the administration of major law firms, including Covington and Burling in Washington, Sidley Austin in Chicago, and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in New York City.

Mr. Lantonio had a home in McLean since 1986 and lived on and off in the Washington area for many years before that.

Dominick James Lantonio was a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a graduate of Brooklyn College. He received a master's degree in European medieval history from City University of New York and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California. He attended a Harvard University program in advanced management.

He was a past board member of the Association of Legal Administrators and a founding member of its Large Firm Administrators Caucus. He was a fellow and trustee of the College of Law Practice Management.

Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Elaine Lubrano Lantonio, and their daughter, Danielle Lantonio, both of McLean; a brother; and two grandchildren.

-- Adam Bernstein

Rose L. McGarrity Nursing Instructor

Rose L. McGarrity, 88, a nursing teacher who became associate dean of students at Georgetown University's nursing school, died of cardiac arrest Oct. 12 at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. She was a resident of Silver Spring.

Mrs. McGarrity joined the staff of Georgetown University's nursing school in 1951 as an assistant instructor. In 1963, she became an associate dean, directing the undergraduate program.

She later served two terms as acting dean of the school and helped lead efforts to implement an integrated baccalaureate curriculum. She retired in 1991.

Rose Anne Lombardi, a native of Colli al Volturno, Italy, moved with her family to Warren, R.I., when she was 7. She received a nursing diploma in 1943 from what is now Weill Cornell Medical Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan and during the mid-1940s was a nurse at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

She moved to the Washington region in 1949. She received a bachelor's degree in nursing in 1951 and a master's degree in sociology in the early 1960s, both from Catholic University. Her memberships included the Sigma Theta Tau nursing honor society and the National League for Nursing.

Her husband of 30 years, William T. McGarrity, died in 1983.

Survivors include two daughters, Rose Anne McGarrity of Silver Spring and Mary Guernier of Chappaqua, N.Y.; and four grandchildren.

-- Lauren Wiseman

Marie Brigid Monaghan Catholic Nun

Marie Brigid Monaghan, 77, a Catholic nun who taught at schools in the District, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, died Oct. 10 at Wilmington Hospital in Wilmington, Del. She had a stroke while visiting relatives in Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Sister Marie Brigid was a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph and lived at her order's convent in Southeast Washington. She was born Joan Monaghan in the District, grew up on Capitol Hill and was a 1950 graduate of the old St. Cecilia's Academy.

She became a nun in 1950, when she entered Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, from which she received a bachelor's degree in American history. She took her final vows as a nun in 1958. She received a master's degree in history in 1973 from St. Bonaventure University in Upstate New York.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, Sister Marie Brigid taught at a Philadelphia elementary school and at Holy Name School in the District. From 1964 to 1988, she taught American government and history, Russian history and French at Catholic high schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

She returned to the Washington area in 1988 to serve as a pastoral assistant at St. Rita Catholic Church in Alexandria. From 1993 until her death, she worked in parish ministry at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in the District.

She enjoyed taking visitors on tours of Washington.

Survivors include a sister, Eileen Feeley of Bowie.

-- Matt Schudel

Michael J. Pelczar Jr. U-Md. Vice President

Michael J. Pelczar Jr., 93, a microbiology professor at the University of Maryland who retired in 1978 as vice president for graduate studies and research, died Oct. 13 at his home in Chester on Maryland's Eastern Shore after a stroke.

Dr. Pelczar taught microbiology at the university from 1946 until 1966. He published scientific articles and co-wrote microbiology textbooks.

After his U-Md. retirement, Dr. Pelczar spent six years as president of the Washington-based Council of Graduate Schools, an association of hundreds of schools. He then moved to Chester, where he lived on a 180-acre property called Avalon Farm. He continued to write, consult and garden until his death.

Michael Joseph Pelczar Jr., a Baltimore native, was a 1936 graduate of the University of Maryland, from which he also received a master's degree in bacteriology in 1938. He received a doctorate in bacteriology from the University of Iowa in 1941.

He served in the Army Medical Service Corps in Europe during World War II and retired from the Army Reserve in 1960 at the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Dr. Pelczar was a member or officer of national professional and scientific societies, a past board member and chairman of the Chesapeake Research Consortium, past chairman of the Maryland governor's science advisory council and past director of the Maryland Sea Grant program.

He was a founding member of U-Md.'s Phi Beta Kappa chapter and past president of the university's chapter of Sigma Xi, the scientific research society.

His honors included the American Society for Microbiology's distinguished service award.

His wife, Merna Foss Pelczar, whom he married in 1941, died in 2007.

Survivors include six children, Ann Markie of Denton, Md., Patricia Haddad of Edina, Minn., Rita Pelczar of Marshall, N.C., Josephine Clark of Betterton, Md., Julia Swartz of Owings, and Michael R. Pelczar of Chestertown, Md.; three sisters, Mary Kozubski of Baltimore, Amelia Pasela of Tallahassee and Wanda Beach of Pikesville, Md.; 21 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

-- Adam Bernstein

Harriet E. 'Betsie' Schrenk Church Member

Harriet E. "Betsie" Schrenk, 88, a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Purcellville, where she sang in the choir, led the altar guild and was a past president of a women's group, died Oct. 11 at her home in Leesburg. She had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mrs. Schrenk was a member of the Waterford Foundation, a historic preservation organization in Loudoun County. She was involved in fundraising activities for the foundation, which gave her an award for outstanding lifetime service. She also was a lifetime member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

She was a costumer and actor with the Waterford Players acting troupe and belonged to Waterford book, weaving and quilting groups. Mrs. Schrenk was also an elections officer in Loudoun and a member of the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra's fundraising and support group.

Harriet Elizabeth Greene was a fourth-generation Washingtonian and a graduate of the private Holton-Arms School. She studied interior design as a young woman and was a window dresser at the old Garfinckel's department store in Washington.

During World War II, she entertained troops in Washington with a local singing group as master of ceremonies.

A son, Charles M. Schrenk, died in 2005.

Survivors include her husband of 59 years, Julien R. Schrenk of Leesburg; four children, Julia "Kate" Kennedy of Littleton, N.C., Malinda "Lindy" Kerr of Arlington County, Julien J. Schrenk of Raleigh, N.C., and Raymond N. Schrenk of Winchester, Va.; and a brother.

-- Adam Bernstein

John Sullivan Accountant

John Sullivan, 73, a certified public accountant who had owned and operated his own firm in Reston since 1969, died Oct. 5 at Reston Hospital Center. He had lung cancer.

Before moving to the Washington region in the mid-1960s, Mr. Sullivan served in the Army for two years, stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Earlier, he worked at an accounting firm in Bloomington, Ill., after his college graduation.

A Bloomington native, he received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1958 and a master's degree in business administration from George Washington University in the late 1960s.

He was a founding member of the Rotary Club of Reston, a past president of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and former treasurer of the Dulles Corridor Rail Association, a nonprofit group that promotes Metro's extension to Loudoun County.

Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Mary Murphy Sullivan of Reston; two daughters, Jennifer Sullivan of Dublin, Calif., and Diane Sullivan of Ringgold, Ga.; and a grandson.

-- Lauren Wiseman