Memori: The Miracle and the Reminder
The True Story of the Baby God Spared and the Woman He Never Stopped Healing
A deeply personal memoir of faith, survival, identity, and healing. On Memorial Day weekend 1978, a car plunged 53 feet off an I-79 overpass in Cecil Township, Pennsylvania. Three lives were lost — but from the wreckage, a 6-month-old baby girl was pulled alive. That baby was Memori. Nearly five decades later, she tells her story.
Coming Fall 2026
May 27, 1978
Cecil Township, Pennsylvania
On Memorial Day weekend, a car carrying the Dooley family plunged 53 feet off an Interstate 79 overpass onto the Montour Railroad tracks below. Three adults lost their lives: Memori's parents, Frederick Mark Dooley (22) and Karen Hines Dooley (19), and her paternal grandmother Juanita Ruth Dooley (51). From the wreckage, first responders heard a faint cry. A 6-month-old baby girl — Memori — was pulled alive, treated for a dislocated hip and lacerations, and survived.
She was the miracle.
48 Years Later
April 2026 · Fairmont, West Virginia
In April 2026, Memori met Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi — the young state trooper who pulled her from the wreckage nearly five decades earlier. The emotional reunion made headlines across Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
"In one of the darkest moments of my life, this person cared — and not only cared, but acted on my behalf." — Memori Dooley Dobbs
Their story became a testament to the power one person has to change a life forever.
Memori Dooley Dobbs
Memori Dooley Dobbs is an author, higher education professional, inspirational speaker, community leader, wife, and mother whose life is a testimony of faith, resilience, and purpose. Raised by her maternal grandparents in Fairmont, West Virginia, she grew up surrounded by a family whose greatest inheritance was, in her aunt’s words, “an abundance of love.”
At just six months old, Memori survived the automobile accident that claimed the lives of both of her parents, a tragedy that would shape her journey and eventually lead to an emotional reunion nearly five decades later with Larry Maggi, one of the men who helped rescue her. Today, she serves as Director of Student Success & Completion at Pierpont Community & Technical College and speaks throughout her community on purpose, resilience, and faith.
Her debut memoir, The Miracle and the Reminder, shares her journey through grief, identity, healing, faith, and discovering purpose. Memori lives in West Virginia with her husband, Deon, and is the proud mother of two adult sons, Zyon and Zycheus.
Her memoir is not just her story — it is a reminder for all of us.