Dorcas (MacKay) Brenner

Dorcas (MacKay) Brenner passed away Tuesday evening, February 22, 2022 at, Willow Ridge in Bluffton.

Dorcas was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma February 7, 1931, to Charles Walker MacKay and Margaret Torrey MacKay, who both preceded her in death. She graduated from South Side High School in Fort Wayne and was a 1953 graduate of The College of Wooster with a degree in piano and vocal performance.

While in high school, Dorcas appeared as a guest piano soloist with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. She taught elementary vocal music in the Van Wert City Schools for 25 years. She was piano accompanist for a number of the Van Wert High School student musicians.

She is survived by four children, Charlie (Mary) Brenner of Nashport, Sara Brenner (Ken Lawrence) of Bluffton, Paul Christa) Brenner of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, and Maggie Brenner Kalmar of Bowling Green; six grandchildren, Stephanie Brenner (Brian) Morrisroe of Chicago, Katie Brenner (Zach) Wysong of Worthington, Adam Brenner of Zanesville, Morgan Brenner (Derek) Tam, of San Diego, and Avie and Joseph Kalmar of Bowling Green; five great-grandchildren, Bridget and Seamus Morrisroe, Reese and Otto Wysong, Elin, Ensley, and Bode Brenner.

Dorcas had a wonderful sense of humor and cherished humor in others. Among the many profound memories that she collected and shared in her lifetime, one of the most notable came on May 6, 1937, when her brother called the family out of their home in Elizabeth, New Jersey to watch the Hindenburg fly over their neighborhood, only to hear that evening of its disastrous end at Lakehurst.

Over her adult years, Dorcas loved singing with the Lima Symphony Chorus, Bluffton Choral Society, Fort Wayne Philharmonic Chorus and church choirs at Trinity UMC, Lima, First Presbyterian and First UMC, Van Wert and First UMC Bowling Green. She also enjoyed many trips to Maine, knitting, watching movies (especially classics) and attending concerts and musical theater performance.

A memorial service will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at the First Mennonite Church of Bluffton. Visitation will take place for one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will take place at a later date.

Preferred memorials: Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio.

Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.chiles-lamanfh.com.