Obituary for Dolores Landolt Esparraguera (Landolt)
Dolores Landolt Esparraguera, M.D., passed away at her home in Havre de Grace, MD on December 18, 2023.
The youngest of seven children, Dolores was born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1928. She graduated from college and medical school at Nueva Leon University in Monterrey. She left Mexico, alone, in the early 1950s, travelling to Pittsburgh to further her medical studies in her specialty, pediatrics. She did an internship at Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh, with a fellowship in blood research. Her residency was at West Penn and Allegheny General Hospitals.
She met Frank Esparraguera at West Penn, where he was also completing a residency. They were truly the love of each other’s lives. They married in 1954. In 1960, they moved to Oil City, PA, where Frank opened his urology practice. Dolores commenced her pediatric practice in 1963. Because she was one of only a few pediatric specialists in the area at the time, she had patients from as far away as Butler and Mercer. She was one of the first pediatricians locally to perform exchange transfusions on newborns to correct blood incompatibilities between mother and baby.
While Frank’s patients generally confined their illness to working hours, in part from his strong recommendation to do that, Dolores consistently received many calls late at night for sick children. It was a running line in the family that no holiday was complete without an emergency call for Dolores. She welcomed children needing urgent care, no matter what time of day or night. Her dedication, intelligence, and scientific analysis saved so many local children through the years. During her retirement ceremony in 1989, a presenter remarked that she embodied quiet grace and dignity. Unfailingly unruffled while confronted with crisis, she did what needed to be done.
When she moved to western Pennsylvania, she learned to ski, spending hundreds of days on the slopes across the US and Europe. She loved to travel and went to dozens of countries worldwide, visiting five continents. She was an avid cyclist, often riding the Samuel Justus trail along the Allegheny River in Oil City and Franklin. An accomplished seamstress, she also did needlework. She also had a great sense of style, wearing classic clothes with such glamour. In retirement, she visited her grandchildren in NJ, sharing her love of skiing as well as her emphasis on higher education.
She was beloved by Frank, who reflected his love by taking gorgeous pictures of Dolores.
In 2010, Dolores and Frank moved to Havre de Grace, MD, to be with Maria, their only child. Frank passed away on April 25, 2011.
Dolores enjoyed her time with Maria and her grandsons, Kevin and Luke. Cooking was not her strong suit, and that may have sparked Luke’s interest in cooking solely for survival. Dolores was always up for an adventure, whether it be riding in a small aircraft piloted by Maria, posing in a ridiculous Santa hat and sweater for holiday pictures, or standing by a life size statue, pretending to be part of the artwork. She loved pets; given that there were different standard poodles in the house, she just called every one of them the “little pooch” –no matter how large they ended up to be.
She was so loved and gave so much love in return.
She was predeceased by her mother and father, Justina Martinez Carranza and Antonio Martinez Landolt, six brothers and sisters, Manuel (Memo), Consuelo (Chelo), Carmen, Raul, Jose (Pepe), and Lucia, and her husband, Frank Esparraguera. She is survived by her daughter, Maria Esparraguera, her husband, Duane Wallace, grandson Kevin Nixon, his wife, Jessica Nixon, and a great grandson, Shane, as well as another grandson, Luke Nixon, and his fiancé, Mackenzie Long. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Zellman Funeral Home, 123 South Washington Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078, 410-939-2882 is handling arrangements. Funeral services are private. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made to the charity of the giver’s choice.
Online condolences may be made at www.zellmanfuneralhome.com.
The youngest of seven children, Dolores was born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1928. She graduated from college and medical school at Nueva Leon University in Monterrey. She left Mexico, alone, in the early 1950s, travelling to Pittsburgh to further her medical studies in her specialty, pediatrics. She did an internship at Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh, with a fellowship in blood research. Her residency was at West Penn and Allegheny General Hospitals.
She met Frank Esparraguera at West Penn, where he was also completing a residency. They were truly the love of each other’s lives. They married in 1954. In 1960, they moved to Oil City, PA, where Frank opened his urology practice. Dolores commenced her pediatric practice in 1963. Because she was one of only a few pediatric specialists in the area at the time, she had patients from as far away as Butler and Mercer. She was one of the first pediatricians locally to perform exchange transfusions on newborns to correct blood incompatibilities between mother and baby.
While Frank’s patients generally confined their illness to working hours, in part from his strong recommendation to do that, Dolores consistently received many calls late at night for sick children. It was a running line in the family that no holiday was complete without an emergency call for Dolores. She welcomed children needing urgent care, no matter what time of day or night. Her dedication, intelligence, and scientific analysis saved so many local children through the years. During her retirement ceremony in 1989, a presenter remarked that she embodied quiet grace and dignity. Unfailingly unruffled while confronted with crisis, she did what needed to be done.
When she moved to western Pennsylvania, she learned to ski, spending hundreds of days on the slopes across the US and Europe. She loved to travel and went to dozens of countries worldwide, visiting five continents. She was an avid cyclist, often riding the Samuel Justus trail along the Allegheny River in Oil City and Franklin. An accomplished seamstress, she also did needlework. She also had a great sense of style, wearing classic clothes with such glamour. In retirement, she visited her grandchildren in NJ, sharing her love of skiing as well as her emphasis on higher education.
She was beloved by Frank, who reflected his love by taking gorgeous pictures of Dolores.
In 2010, Dolores and Frank moved to Havre de Grace, MD, to be with Maria, their only child. Frank passed away on April 25, 2011.
Dolores enjoyed her time with Maria and her grandsons, Kevin and Luke. Cooking was not her strong suit, and that may have sparked Luke’s interest in cooking solely for survival. Dolores was always up for an adventure, whether it be riding in a small aircraft piloted by Maria, posing in a ridiculous Santa hat and sweater for holiday pictures, or standing by a life size statue, pretending to be part of the artwork. She loved pets; given that there were different standard poodles in the house, she just called every one of them the “little pooch” –no matter how large they ended up to be.
She was so loved and gave so much love in return.
She was predeceased by her mother and father, Justina Martinez Carranza and Antonio Martinez Landolt, six brothers and sisters, Manuel (Memo), Consuelo (Chelo), Carmen, Raul, Jose (Pepe), and Lucia, and her husband, Frank Esparraguera. She is survived by her daughter, Maria Esparraguera, her husband, Duane Wallace, grandson Kevin Nixon, his wife, Jessica Nixon, and a great grandson, Shane, as well as another grandson, Luke Nixon, and his fiancé, Mackenzie Long. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Zellman Funeral Home, 123 South Washington Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078, 410-939-2882 is handling arrangements. Funeral services are private. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made to the charity of the giver’s choice.
Online condolences may be made at www.zellmanfuneralhome.com.