Aunt Dorothy O’Donnell

My mother, Rita Mary O’Donnell Fries, who was Dorothy’s oldest sister told me that no one ever knew for sure what caused Dorothy’s seizure disorder. One possible cause was the fact that Dorothy suffered a ruptured appendix and became deathly ill. My mother prayed really hard that Dorothy would survive but always felt that she might have developed her seizures as a consequence of being so sick. The other scenario I heard was that she fell from a ladder or rope while in gym class. Aunt Anne told me that she would go out with Dorothy to the 5 and 10 Store and Dorothy would put things in her pockets and leave the store and the cops would be called. Anne was always explaining about Dorothy’s condition. One time Dorothy had a full blown seizure ( Grand Mal seizure) while they were walking on the sidewalk and a lot of people surrounded them and attempted to intervene and Anne had to take charge of the situation and tell them she was able to handle it correctly. Dorothy would sleep walk and leave the family’s Brooklyn apartment in the middle of the night. This was one of the reasons it was decided to place Dorothy in Craig Colony. Also my grandmother ( Margaret Coleman O’Donnell ) had a weak heart after suffering a heart attack at age 47 so it was becoming more and more of a challenge for her to keep Dorothy at home. I can only imagine what a difficult decision it was. Maybe this is the reason it was not discussed in much detail. Anne and Dorothy are buried in the Friendsville Cemetery either side of their parents, Margaret (Coleman) and T.J. O’Donnell Craig colony or Craig state school was for folks with seizure disorders. Located in Sonyea, Wyoming County. Can’t prove it not I believe Sonyea was an acronym for state of New York epileptic asylum Dorothy was born in December 1919 and Anne in December 1920 - just one year apart. Dorothy died in 1942