Dorothy Joanne Smith Tate was born Feb 21, 1934 in Burlington, North Carolina, and passed away peacefully at home on Gatewood Avenue on March 6, 2022, in the house she shared with her husband and in which they raised their children.
As a child, Dorothy grew up in Burlington, Leasburg, Wilmington, and South Greensboro. She graduated from Greensboro Senior High School in 1952. She is survived by her devoted husband of 67 years, C. Richard Tate, Jr.; four children, Buck M. Tate of Florida, Lisa A. Tate of Charlotte, Sarah Warren (Richard) of Charlotte, and Beth Hondros (Nick) of Charlotte; five grandchildren, Lindsey Tate, Jason Tate, Richard M. Warren III, John B. Warren (and fiancée Casey Mitchell), and Maria Élise Hondros; two great-grandchildren; and her brothers Herbert and Robert Smith. She was predeceased by her parents, Robert and Mabel Smith, her loving second set of parents Clarence and Lois Tate, her beloved brother Malcolm Smith, her beloved sister-in-law Susan Smith whom she always called her sister, special aunts Pauline Smith and Francis Mayo, as well as many other aunts, uncles and cousins.
Dorothy, or Dot, as she was known by friends and loved ones, was a kind and gentle soul who was fiercely devoted to her husband and children. She met and began dating Richard when they were in 7th grade and they have been together ever since. She waited on him during their engagement, when he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, and saved money for their future while he served. When they first married, Dot worked full-time to support Richard, who was pursuing his undergraduate and law degrees at Wake Forest University. Two of their four children were born during those years, while they lived in Wake Forest University Student Housing.
Once Richard began the practice of law, Dot managed the law office and ran the day to day affairs of the practice. For the vast majority of his career, Dot and Richard worked side by side together, having lunch together every day. Dot knew the clients as well as Richard did, and juggled her work and home life responsibilities skillfully. She was a true and equal partner to Richard in every sense of the word.
As an adult, Dot fulfilled a lifelong dream of attending college, and she took night classes at Guilford College’s adult education program, after her workday had ended, in furtherance of this goal.
She was a long-time member of Forest Hills Presbyterian Church, and served on various committees to support the Church. She was a devoted Christian and treated all people she encountered with kindness and respect.
Dot will be remembered for her grace and dignity, her insistence on treating others with kindness no matter the situation, her genuine laughter at each and every one of Richard’s jokes, no matter how many times she had heard them, her love and enjoyment of family, her calm and nurturing presence, and her love of ice cream and chocolate. She took great happiness in caring for her husband and children and especially enjoyed cooking things that they loved. She joyfully made a hot breakfast for Richard every day of their marriage, until her illness robbed her of the ability to do so. Despite the fact that her memories were taken from her, she always knew Richard and even in the depths of her illness, took great comfort in his presence. Most of all, Dot will be remembered for the incredible devotion she had for her husband and family.
The family would like to thank Leslie McDonald, Cynthia Crews and especially Donis Tillman for providing such loving care to Dot during her long illness. They would also like to thank their neighbors and friends Clyde Wood, Jay Dunbar, Jerry Wayne Allen and Teresa Murphy for their many generous acts of kindness and support over these last several years.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 11:00am at Forest Hills Presbyterian Church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Childrens' Hope Alliance (Barium Springs Home), P.O. Box 1, Barium Springs, NC 28010 or Lung Transplant Foundation, 1249 Kildaire Farm Road, Suite 323, Cary, NC 27511 or Alzheimer’s Research Initiative, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Records, P. O. Box 571021, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1021.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sechrestdavisphillipsavenue.com for the Tate family.
