Obituary

Maureen Geralyn Dowd Schillinger died on July 15 after a lengthy and hard-fought battle with cancer. She was mom to Grace, Lily, Maggie, and Michael and wife to Greg.

Maureen was born in 1971, the daughter of Richard and Beatrice Dowd in Loudonville, NY where she grew up in a strong and loving family. It was there that she learned about unconditional love and how to speak fluent sarcasm. The sixth of nine children, she spent her summers with her family on Lake George. Her home was filled with noise and laughter that would echo throughout the rest of her life. Always a fighter, she earned a blackbelt before leaving for college.

She attended The Catholic University of America in Washington DC, and lived in Hawaii for three years, before settling down and raising her family in Rutland, Vermont. She earned a Master’s Degree while working fulltime and raising her family. Maureen’s professional career was devoted to children and she was always a teacher in the way that mothers teach – comforting and cajoling in just the right measure. She was an educator at Holy Trinity School in Honolulu, the Pico Daycare Center, Christ the King Elementary, Rutland High School, and finally Northeast Elementary where she served as a School Psychologist.

Her own family was her greatest joy. She met her husband, Greg, while attending college, was married in 1995 and they soon welcomed the first of four precious bundles. She took great pride in planning trips for the family both great and small. Maureen was always planning the next event that sent her family farther afield and brought them closer together, whether they were concerts at SPAC, vacations in Chincoteague, VA, or drives to Nashville, TN. Birthdays and Christmas were special events because of her loving efforts. She was a fixture on the sidelines of their many sporting events and even as cancer took its toll, she was there for her children. Words can’t express her pride in her children and their accomplishments. Whether it was school, sports, or living life to its fullest, she was enchanted with all that they could do. Her happiest moments were with her family.

Maureen chose her friends carefully and those who were friends became like family. She is forever grateful to the committee of friends and sister-friends who supported her and her family during her illness. She looked forward to receiving a “Selfie and a Song” as she underwent chemotherapy. The noise and laughter of your friendship made the unbearable, bearable.

Family Information

She is survived by her husband, Greg; her four children, Grace of Philadelphia; Lillian of Baltimore, MD; Marguerite of Annapolis, MD; and Michael of Rutland. Like her, her children are teachers, competitors, and fighters and carry on her legacy.
She is also survived by her mother, Beatrice of Loudonville, NY; siblings Jo Anne (Robert) Pavelec of Loudonville, NY; Marylouise (Inder) Thukral of Loudonville, NY; Patrick (Julie) Dowd of Glens Falls, NY; Elizabeth (Joseph) Byrns of Alexandria, VA; Kathleen (John) McCoy of O’Fallon, IL; Colleen (Stephen) Kriz of Oreland, PA; Michael (Tamara) Dowd of Baltimore, MD; Meaghan (Eric) Larson of Winter Garden, FL; and thirty-five nieces and nephews. She looks forward to seeing her dad again who predeceased her.

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