Dorothy Estelle Mirko

Dorothy Estelle Mirko, 85, Severna Park resident, died peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at Severna Park Complete Care at 11:10pm. To know her was to know three things - she loved her kids, she was very funny and of course, she loved her coffee.

Dorothy ran on Dunkin’. If someone told Dorothy, fondly known as Grandma D, coffee would be ready by 5:30am, she was waiting, cup in hand, at 5am, staring intently at the pot, willing it to brew. She could drink coffee all day, every day, preferably with some flavor – coconut, blueberry, and/or mocha.

Dorothy was very funny. Her jokes would come out of nowhere, sometimes when we were all laughing, and sometimes when we weren’t, just to change the mood. She was quick-witted, and would slide toward the bawdy when she felt like it.

Dorothy loved her kids. It was a multi-faceted love and she offered many gifts to them both. She loved sports -  football in particular. On any given Sunday, she would be in front of the TV watching all the games, commenting on teams’ performances. She became a J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets fan because of her son Dan, who would join her on Sundays for their games and also took her to see games in person. Dorothy enjoyed horses, too, and Dan often took her to the races.

For her daughter Karen-Michelle, she instilled a lifelong love of the ocean and seafood. Dorothy made time for regular Summer excursions to Ocean Grove, New Jersey, so that she and the kids could play in the sand, swim in the ocean and take in the sun. They would round the day out by playing games on the boardwalk, going on rides, eating pecan turtles and finding a good lobster to share. Karen-Michelle eventually picked up her mother’s love of fashion, buying the leopard-print tops she was too shy to wear in high school.

Dorothy (sometimes lovingly referred to as Dot) was born in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, February 13, 1940, to Martin Anthony and Sophie (Ciecierzynski) Kopalko. At one point, her family moved to the East Coast. She had fond memories of the ice cream at Applegate Farms and hiking with her dog Scottie in the nature preserve behind her house when the family lived in Montclair, New Jersey. They eventually moved to Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, where she lived on the same block as her grandmother, uncle and aunt and her husband. Dorothy graduated from Ft. Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, New York, and continued her studies for a time at the City University of New York, Baruch College in New York, New York, before entering the working world fulltime.

Among her different occupations in New Jersey, Dorothy was a secretary for Chubb for several years, a home-health aide and a data-entry specialist. She had a very curious mind, and was interested early on in computers and technology. Dorothy was a definite clotheshorse, so it was no surprise for her to work at Burlington Coat Factory toward the end of her working career.

Once she stopped working, Dorothy looked forward to weekly visits with Dan, whether to take a drive to Greenwood Lake or going to the Meadowlands to catch a horse race. When they were together, they joked around and kidded each other. Mom also enjoyed watching her TV shows: Dancing with the Stars, The Bachelor, and The Price Is Right were among her favorites. She had longtime crushes on Drew Carey, Justin Bieber, Elvis, and Tom Brady.

“Grandma D” treasured her granddaughter Jania, ready with a smile and a hug to celebrate her at every turn. Dorothy was woven into her children’s extended community, remaining attentive and showing her caring by asking after the important people and moments in their lives. Whether going out with Dan and Ray, his best friend since childhood, or chopping vegetables for stuffing with Grandma Shirley for Chosen Family Day, her love showed through her presence and jokes…as long as there was coffee involved!

Dorothy is preceded by her parents. She is survived by her two children, Daniel Charles Mirko of Shallotte, NC. and Karen-Michelle Mirko (Gail Cooper) of Baltimore and her grandchild, Jania Witherspoon.

Her funny and kind soul will be missed by everyone who knew her.

Services and Interment for Dorothy are private.