Everybody loved Lottie.

Born Elise-lotte Schneider in Sao Paolo, Brazil in 1924, Lottie Dunn radiated joie de vivre throughout her entire 99 1/2 years of life. She loved her parents, Anton and Frieda Schneider, and her sister Elfrida Schneider Wandell.  Her family emigrated from the Black Forest in Germany, via Sao Paolo, to DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn in 1927. She loved her husband, Hugh Dunn, whom she met at a high school dance and remained as best friends for the next 55+ years.  She loved her 6 children— and our spouses — and her 11 grandchildren and 3 step-grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren so deeply that each one of us thought we were her favorite! 

Lottie also loved the friends she made while a student in New York, a parent in New Jersey, and a retiree in Georgia.  She was gifted at making and keeping friends. Throughout her lifetime, she connected with people through telling (and re-telling…!) stories. She had a lot of stories to tell — and had a lot of fun telling them. She was a natural raconteur.

Lottie was a hard worker and a woman of many talents. She was a nursing school graduate.  She was great cook and a creative seamstress. She knitted. She gardened. She loved playing tennis and bridge with her friends — and she was great at both! She enjoyed skiing and sailing, travelled far and wide, and was always open to adventure. She painted gorgeous portraits of friends and family members, along with landscapes, still lifes, and animals. She was an extrovert who retained her insatiable curiosity about people, places, and things.

But mostly, Lottie was a very, very caring person. Until her last day, she was interested in other people and committed to helping them in any possible way. She always thought to check-in about the things that mattered to her important people. She religiously sent birthday and anniversary cards and gifts — and she sent special cards at every holiday.  She was so thoughtful.     

While Lottie outlived her husband, her sister, and all of her lifelong friends, she is survived by her children Kenneth, Eileen (Peter Quinn), Patricia (Andre DiMarco), Bryan (Ellen Mitchell), Leslie (Coddy Marx), and Christopher (Megan Kohler) and their spouses. She loved each of us with all of her heart.

Our family would like the thank the caring community of the Marshes of Skidaway Island, in particular Oaks head nurse Sherry Hattle and her talented staff, for being so patient, skilled, and loving during Lottie’s final months. Thanks in large part to their compassion, Lottie died a peaceful death.

Lottie’s funeral will be held on Friday, May 10, 2024 at St. James Church, 8412 Whitefield Avenue, Savannah. Visitation will begin at 9:15 AM, followed by a funeral Mass at 10:00. The burial will be at Catholic Cemetery on East President Street in Savannah.

In lieu of sending flowers, please consider planting some colorful flowers in your garden or sending a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1999, Memphis, TN 38101

We would ask that, next time you see a parent loving a young child or a grandparent enjoying their grandchild, please think of our Lottie. 

Everybody loved Lottie.