Quesenberry, Dorothy Matusevich
Dorothy Matusevich Quesenberry, 93, of Blacksburg, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, October 23, 2026. She was a member of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church and retired from the Financial Aid Office at Radford University.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Tony and Tessie Proco Matusevich; her husband, Rev. Roy Glennard Quesenberry; and brothers, Tony, George, Edward, and Johnny Matusevich.
Survivors include her daughters, Faith Malloy (Mitch) of Destin, FL, and Angie Quesenberry of Blacksburg; granddaughter, Eden Grace Malloy; sisters, Velma M. Pierce and Mary Jean M. Brown; sisters-in-law, Peggy, Connie and Charlotte Matusevich; and many other relatives and friends.
Known to many as Dot, Dorothy was of Eastern European ancestry, the oldest daughter of a Lithuanian immigrant coal miner, Tony, and his wife, Tessie. As a child she went to work at Heath Farm in Blacksburg for ten cents a week to help support her family. Her dream was to be a nurse and go to college, but after graduating from Blacksburg High School she began working at Virginia Tech as a secretary. This was probably for the best because she expected injuries and illnesses to be overcome with great expediency.
Raised Catholic, she and her cousin began attending the lively Pentecostal church down the road, drawn by the gospel music. One quartet she especially liked featured a tall, skinny singer whose father happened to be the minister. Before long Dorothy married that singer and became a Pentecostal Holiness pastor’s wife—a zero-pay calling that demanded far more than her full-time day job. She poured her early training as a servant into supporting her husband’s ministry. By day she worked as a secretary; nights, weekends, and holidays were filled with church work: teaching classes, serving as Sunday School superintendent and church secretary, directing weddings, Women’s Ministry, playing the piano, singing in the choir, and filling vacant roles.
She also raised two daughters. Having known hardship in her own childhood, she made certain her girls lacked for nothing—opportunity, stylish clothes, music lessons, vacations, college, and so much more. She could stretch a dollar and find the best bargains. A homemade dinner was nearly always on the table after work, usually squeezed in before she headed out to a church commitment. Summers found her toiling in the garden and canning food in her spare time.
Dorothy’s perfectionist work ethic was rarely matched. She held extremely high expectations of herself (and others). She belonged to a generation that took pride in quality work, well-kept homes, and being well-dressed. She was a champion of the underdog and always had a soft spot for those she felt faced unfair struggles.
After more than twenty years of adult children and many grand-dogs, -cats, and -bunnies, she finally welcomed a granddaughter. Her joy was immense. She delighted in providing Eden with unlimited contraband sweets, no bedtime, and the best fashion.
Even in retirement, Dorothy continued to support her husband’s ministry as they pastored and served in churches well into their eighties. She faced each day with a list of must-do chores. The only role she never fully mastered was that of widow; she missed her husband terribly. She had survived a near-drowning as a young woman, a broken foot, a fall from a second-story window, hypothermia, a railroad spike through the calf, a heart attack, multiple joint replacements, and a broken femur at age 91—yet she maintained a fierce determination until her last breath. Her final rest is well deserved.
Her daughters would like to thank their aunts Mary Jean and Velma for their love and commitment to their sister, sister-in-law Peggy Matusevich for her unwavering friendship and companionship, Cinda McCoy for helping with her care and loving her like family, Medi Home Health & Hospice, and Commonwealth Senior Living.
The family will receive friends from 4pm until 6pm on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at the Mullins Funeral Home in Radford. Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 30 at 11am at the funeral home. Interment will follow in the Appalachian Conference Cemetery in Dublin.
In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions to the NRV Agency on Aging, 44 3rd St., NW, Pulaski, VA 24301.
The Quesenberry family is in the care of Mullins Funeral Home & Crematory in Radford. www.mullinsfuneralhome.com.
