Dora Catherine Drafts

Dora Drafts was the fifth of 11 children born in Pittsburgh, PA. She attended Schenley High School, where she met her lifetime partner Raymond. They married on January 5,1957.

Dora was a military wife and a stay-at home mother, while Raymond served in the United States Air Force. In the late1960s, Raymond moved the family to Providence, RI where Dora could be close to her parents and 10 brothers and sisters while he was stationed overseas. During that time Dora worked at a jewelry factory located on the same street as the family home. The family was reunited in the early 1970s when Raymond was reassigned to Goose Bay Air Force Base in Labrador, Canada, where they bowled in singles and mixed doubles leagues and tournaments. She had a “big ball”  and when she and Raymond teamed upon the lanes, they were unstoppable.

At each Air Force Base, they were very active members at the Base Chapel. Dora sang in the choir, taught Bible School, served as an usher, welcomed new Chaplains, and organized arts and crafts activities for the children and fellowship activities after services. In 1972, Raymond was stationed on his last assignment at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, NM, and they continued serving the Lord at the Chapel. Dora became known for her fiery hot dip. She enjoyed serving it to the new Chaplains and watching them tum lobster red! It was all in fun and with their consent of course. Throughout her many years of service at the Chapel, Dora received many Certificates of Appreciation.

Dora loved to travel and was a rollercoaster enthusiast; no coaster was too high or too fast for her. Dora also chaperoned trips with the high school drill team on which her youngest daughter Raenell was a member. She consistently volunteered with other parents at various activities throughout Raenell's elementary school years. Dora enjoyed watching football and was an avid Steelers fan.

Raymond and Dora were life partners for 66 years when God called him home on March 15, 2023. He promised he would never put her in a nursing home and her daughters kept his promise. On June 9, 2023, they moved Dora from Clovis, NM to Upper Marlboro, MD where she became a member of The Sanctuary. Dora was continuously cared for by her daughters, son-in-law, caregivers Donna Jacobs and Tiffany Archer, and “The Village.”

Dora is predeceased by her parents, Irvin and Catherine Johnson; 10 siblings: Irvin, Larry, Richard, Alfred, Roy, Henry, Harold, Carolyn, Rosalie, and Betty. She is survived by her three daughters Dorene McNeal of Columbus, OH; Darcell McCoy of Germantown, MD; Raenell Drafts of Upper Marlboro, MD; granddaughter LaNée Hammond of Columbus, OH; son-in-law George McCoy of Germantown, MD; granddaughter-in-law Breda Hammond of Columbus, OH; and many nieces and nephews across the United States.

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