Dorothy Joan Duncan, 91, passed away in Los Angeles, California, following complications of ulcer surgery on Nov. 3, 2022.
She was the cherished only child of Shirley (née Vollberg) and Jacob Kaplan. Her father, a Manhattan attorney, was a student at CCNY when Jews were excluded from fraternities, motivating him and seven of his friends (“The Octagon”) to found Sigma Alpha Mu (“the Sammies”), which spawned chapters on college campuses throughout North America.
Dorothy, known for her beauty throughout her life, inside and out, was an alumnus of Erasmus Hall High School where she was named the “Class Actress” in her yearbook. She attended NYU and worked as a runway model in Manhattan for several years before becoming a junior girls fashion buyer at Macy’s in Herald Square. Although her parents adamantly discouraged her from pursuing her dream of a Hollywood film career, her theatrical personality endured throughout her entire life.
The epitome of vivaciousness, she was also hilarious, good-natured, and amenable to new things — even trying white water rafting with her grandchildren at 80 years old.
She and her husband, Walter Harvey Jacobs, M.D., moved to Kansas City in 1959, where they raised their three children.
Blessed with great organizational skills, a wonderful public presence and creativity, she was often recruited to lead organizations and events and became the auxiliary president of Menorah Medical Center as well as the auxiliary president of the American College of Gastroenterology when her husband was the organization’s president. She also was on the board of the Florence Crittenton Home and active with United Cerebral Palsy.
Dorothy deeply loved Lester L. Duncan, her second husband, and they had a wonderful two decades together, divided between Kansas City and their home at the La Quinta Country Club where she was active in the Boys and Girls Club of Coachella Valley and was honored by the City of La Quinta for her work.
Dorothy was a fantastic cook best known for her incredible brisket and someone who always encouraged her children to invite their non-Jewish friends to her Passover Seder to learn about Jewish traditions.
Although she lived most of her life in her beloved Kansas City, she was still a New Yorker through and through who loved her Schrafft’s coffee ice cream and, even in her 80s, could still navigate her way around the streets of Manhattan so fast that even her grandchildren couldn’t keep up.
She adored her many dear friends, her dogs, babies, old black-and-white movies, playing tennis at Oakwood Country Club, traveling the globe, rooting for the KC Chiefs and a good party.
She also had a remarkable memory for the people and events of her life and always had a great story to share, such as when she was four and her parents brought her along to see the legendary fan dancer, Sally Rand. As she told it, she stole the show when she screamed, “Look Mommy – that lady is naked!”
But most central to her personality was her incredible maternal nature. No woman ever loved her children or grandchildren more deeply than she, and she always made sure they knew it. They all survive her: Dr. Andrew Jacobs (Elizabeth) of Kansas City; Jacqueline Jacobs Caster (Andrew) of Pacific Palisades, California; and Joanne Jacobs Newman (Mark) of Chicago, Illinois. Grandchildren: Jonathan (Eli) and Gregory Jacobs; Bryce Caster; Jocelyn Caster Oberg (Alexander); Stephanie Dickstein (Joseph); Melanie Leifman (Michael) and great-grandson, Gavin Dickstein. She also leaves behind her dear “adopted KC family” – the Helzbergs, Lenks, Rudnicks and Strausses.
Her family thanks the incredible staff at Belmont Village in Westwood where she resided the past five and a half years and charmed the hearts of many.
Any donations may be made to Everychild Foundation, P.O Box 1808, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 (www.everychildfoundation.org). Please designate “In Memory of Dorothy Duncan.” Details of service and burial at Mount Moriah are pending.
