Dorothea (Dottie) Margarete Kitscher Gillwald passed away peacefully on August 02, 2026, in Ranson, West Virginia. Dottie was born in Wansen, Germany, on September 9, 1933, to the late Georg Josef Kitscher and Margarete Hildegard Kitscher. Dottie was a devoted parishioner at Saint James the Greater Catholic Church in Charles Town, West Virginia.

As a child, Dottie, along with her two younger sisters, was raised by her beloved governess, Tante Hedel, while her parents owned and operated the local department store. Towards the end of World War II, the family was forced to flee their home in Wansen due to the invading Soviet army. She finally settled in Freiburg, West Germany, where she worked in a bank. Dottie’s sense of adventure led her to move to England where she worked as a governess. A highlight of hers at that time was attending the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. In the mid 1950’s, she left England and settled in Toronto Canada where she developed an enduring kinship while working as a governess for John and Laura Wilson, an American family. She briefly traveled to Banff, Canada and worked at the lodge. This experience forged a life-long love for that area. She returned to Toronto where she met and married Erhard Gillwald starting a family with the birth of her son Pete. With the assistance of the Wilsons, the young family moved to the Washington D.C. area where her second son Ralph was born.

The family moved to Shannondale, West Virginia, in 1966 where much love and labor was put into building their home on the lake. While living in Shannondale, Dottie was an active member of the Shannondale Women’s Club. In 1968, Dottie proudly became a naturalized United States citizen. Dottie grew to become an avid golfer over the years and realized a dream of hers by moving to a golfing community called “The Woods” near Hedgesville, West Virginia, around 1988. In 2001, Dottie returned to her beloved home in Shannondale. In 2016, she left Shannondale and moved to her “perfect” home in Ranson.

Dottie worked in various jobs in the area to help support her family. The two jobs she enjoyed the most were when she worked at the Sleepy Hollow Golf Course pro-shop, where she made many friends, and her time managing the gift shop at the former Cliffside Inn near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. She loved meeting people, listening to their stories and always had a joke or story to share about herself.

Dottie enjoyed playing golf and tennis, enjoyed ballroom dancing, square dancing, playing cards and games, especially Scrabble, Backgammon, and Gin Rummy, and playing pool. She even took a class in disco dancing once. Dottie had many hobbies including stamp collecting, coin collecting, and handicrafts. Dottie was a devoted Catholic and spent many years as an officer in the church Women’s Club. She loved volunteering and was active in many church ministries including the church bookstore and library. It was well known that Dottie had a passion for organizing things like the storage closets at the church. Dottie loved nature and animals. She was especially fond of feeding the birds and taking care of her “doggies.”

Dottie is survived by her sons Peter Gregory Gillwald (Shelley) and Ralph Gillwald (Cheryl), Sister Helga Kreutzer (Wolfgang), grandchildren Eric Michael Gillwald, Karsten Rainer Gillwald (Sia), Anika Nicole Gillwald and Marissa Kathleen Gillwald, granddaughter-in-law Madeleine Gillwald, great-grandchildren James Maximilian Gillwald and Molly Dorothea Gillwald, as well as her brother-in-law Egon Kellner, nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, Dottie was pre-deceased by her sister Ruth Maria Kellner and grandson Matthew Edward Gillwald.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on August 12, 2026, at 10:00 A.M., at Saint James Catholic Church, 49 Crosswinds Drive, Charles Town, WV, with Father Timothy Grassi and Father Alex Paul as Celebrants, assisted by Deacon Dave Galvin, with a Rosary at 9:30 A.M..

A reception will follow the service at the church.

The family will receive friends one hour prior to the Mass, at the church.

Dottie will be laid to rest privately at Saint Peters Cemetery in Harpers Ferry.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her name to the Saint James the Greater Catholic Church Martha Mary Ministry.