MAX DON DOOLEY, 87, of Wilmington, DE, loving
husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather,
passed away on June 9, 2023 after a life well-lived.
Loved by his friends and family and a man of faith,
he was at peace with his death.
Max was born to Mettie Lou (Stokes) & Albert Warren
Dooley in Ranger, TX. After Max graduated from Ranger
High School in 1954, he went on to study at Ranger Jr.
College before transferring to the University of Texas
at Austin. It was there in Organic Chemistry class,
that he met his life-long sweetheart Eleanor Siemer.
After they both graduated with degrees in Pharmacy in
1959 and married that June; Max accepted a pharmacy
position with the Public Health Service branch of the
U.S. Coast Guard, stationed in Staten Island, NY and
then Springfield, MO. Later the couple moved to
Cleveland, OH where Max served in pharmacy positions
with St Luke's Hospital and Eli Lilly, before taking
on the Director of Pharmacy position for the Cleveland
Clinic Foundation.
They were residents of Hudson, OH, raising a family on
a farmette fondly known as Groundhog Hill. The main
crops on Groundhog Hill were the varied lifelong
interests of the five Dooley children.
In 1984, Max was recruited as the Director of Pharmacy,
during the integration of Wilmington's three hospital's
into the Wilmington Medical Center, which along with
Christiana Hospital is now Christiana Care. To the people
that met him, his calm and kindness sometimes worked
better than the medicine he dispensed. After retiring,
Max had more time for his deep love of band music. He
played saxophone with Newark Community Band, Academy
of Lifelong Learning Band, Delaware Saengerbund's Band,
and the annual Dooley Family Christmas Band.
Max and Eleanor discovered the historical gem, Old Swedes
Church, Trinity Episcopal Parish in Wilmington. They
became very active members of the church community, but
also in the Old Swedes Foundation. He was instrumental
in many project educating visitors and school children
on the history of the church and the Swedish settlement
along the banks of the Christina River. After becoming
inspired by the Grace Cathedral labyrinth in San Francisco,
Max designed a painted labyrinth to fit perfectly on the
circular stage of the Old Swedes amphitheater & recruited
family members to bring it to fruition.
Max leaves the legacy of his devoted wife, Eleanor, his
five children, Steven (Sarah), Julia (David), Jeannie
(John), Brian, and David (Cecilia). He is also survived
by seven grandchildren: Britta (Philadelphia, PA) & Max
(Brooklyn, NY) Peterson, Erin Dooley (Delft, Netherlands),
Nora (married to Stephen Graham with daughter Elliot in
Wichita, KS) and Owen Dooley (Mission, KS), Caroline and
Hudson Dooley (Wilmington, DE).