Born Dorothy Vitavec in Canton, Ohio on Oct. 21, 1919. She married George Cordier on Sept. 24, 1941. George was driving a bus at the time in Canton. By Sept. of 1942 George and Dorothy were parents, and in Sept. of 1943 George was drafted into the Marine Corps. He went to basic training at Parris Island, S.C. while Dorothy stayed at home with their son Richard. Dorothy lived at home with her parents and worked as a waitress in the bus depot while George was overseas, surviving on her pay plus the allotment that George sent home every month. She primarily kept in touch with George by phone while he was stateside, then letters and v-mails after he deployed to the Pacific. She describes her loneliness while he was deployed. George started the war as a signal corps wireman, and was injured during the landings at Guam. Dorothy was happy when George was reassigned after recovering to serve as a cook for officers, including a general, in the Philippines.
From the description of An interview with Dorothy Cordier / Dorothy Cordier ; Sandra Dehner-Wheeler, interviewer. 2007. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 190865124
