Dorothea Allen O'Shea lived a long and vibrant life. She was a nimble conversationalist.  Her love of lexicology was renowned. Dorothea was the loving wife of Capt. Robert J. O'Shea, USMC (who predeceased her in 2009). She attended the University of Pennsylvania. He attended the United States Naval Academy. They married after graduation, and Dorothea and Bob were expecting twins when Bob was shot down and held for two years as a P.O.W. during the Korean War. During the first few months of his captivity, Dorothea gave birth to their twin boys, George and Robert, Jr.

After Robert, Sr. was released from captivity, Dorothea and Bob had two more children, daughters Mary Catherine and Carol Ann. Dorothea and Bob lived in Puerto Rico for more than a decade when their children were younger, returning to Pennsylvania in the 1970s. Dorothea and Bob eventually made their homes in Bryn Mawr, PA, and in Lauderdale by the Sea, FL, where she was widely and affectionately known as Dede.

Dorothea was a lifelong learner who could spend hours researching a topic in the library or reading a book. As a teenager, she worked at the Narberth Public Library. As a young adult, she worked as a reporter in Ardmore. She passed on her appreciation of literature and poetry to her children and grandchildren. She was a faithful member of St. Margaret Parish and Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish.

Dorothea was born in Pittsburgh, PA to an engineer and his wife from Andover and Lawrence, MA. During the depression, Dorothea Allen, and two of her younger sisters, lived with their beloved Uncle Fred, a funeral director in Lawrence, MA, because there was always work for a funeral director. Dorothea lived most of her childhood on Valley View Road, Merion.  She was the oldest of 5, and Dorothea was sad to have outlived her sisters Barbara Callahan, Ruth Allen, and Alice Beltran and her baby brother, James Hale Allen. Dorothea is survived by sons George, and Bob (Rebecca), and daughters Missy (Mark), and Carol (Joe). Dorothea is also survived by her lifelong friend, her sister practically, Dorothy Quigley, who also grew up on Valley View Road. Dorothea O'Shea passed away peacefully on July 16, 2023, and is already missed dearly by her 11 grandchildren, and will be dearly missed by her 9 great-grandchildren: Emma, Hunter, Anna, Akasha, Margaret, Haley, Caroline, Carter, and Robbie.

Relatives and friends are invited on Saturday July 22nd, Visitation from 9 to 10 AM with Funeral Mass to begin at 10 AM both at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church, 31 Pennswood Rd., Bryn Mawr PA.  Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, PA.