Dorothy McKenzie

Dorothy Ruud McKenzie went home to be with the Lord May 1, 2015. She was preceded in death by her father, Sven Jonas Richard Ruud, her mother, Kerstin Ingeborg Ruud, her husband, William Travis McKenzie, and her eldest grandson, Loyd Ross Earley. Dorothy was born on January 21, 1923, in Providence, Rhode Island. She moved to Texas with her parents in 1926 where the family lived in La Feria and San Benito in South Texas where her father managed citrus groves during the depression. The family returned to Houston, Texas, where Dorothy graduated from Jeff Davis high school in 1939. She enrolled in Nursing School and while there she met William Travis McKenzie, who was stationed at Ellington Field in Southeast Houston, on a blind date.

Dorothy and Travis were married 56 years and had three children: Mary Margaret Earley, Travis Ruud McKenzie, and Dorothy ‘Eileen’ Fowler. Dorothy had seven grandchildren: Lisa Hight, Tracee Easterlin, Loyd Earley, Ronnie Bata, Brian Earley, Lorie Smith, and Glenn Michael Fowler, and one bonus grandchild, Janey Stubbs. Her grandchildren have many happy memories spending summer vacations with their ‘Memaw’ who made every day an adventure.

Dorothy also had thirteen great grandchildren: Hayden, Hudson and Hannah Connolly, Austin and Meta Hight, Caitlin Cano, Travis and Dawson Smith, Wyatt and Caleb Bata, Abigayle Eileen Fowler, and Carissa Hollon, and six bonus grandchildren, Ryan and Lauren Smith, Tristen Bayless, Michael and Madison Easterlin and James Miles. Her great grandchildren considered Dorothy the family matriarch, always full of wonderful and precious memories.

Dorothy worked for Foley’s Department Store in downtown Houston for over 20 years. She was a 64-year member of the Swedish/American charitable organization The Linneas of Texas. She served as past president and permanent Handicraft Chair, personally delivering hundreds of hand-sewn baby blankets, shirts, afghans and booties to the patients of Lyndon Baines Johnson Charity Hospital in Houston for over 25 years. Dorothy also served hot meals to the homeless in downtown Houston throughout the late 1970’s and 1980’s. She served as President of the Church Women at Augustana Lutheran Church in Houston where all of her children were christened and confirmed in the Christian Faith.

Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at Forrest Park Cemetery East, in Webster, Texas. A private grave-side service will be held for family only at 2:00 p.m.