Born Oct. 11, 1948, in Newport, Arkansas, to JV and Daisy Aitkens, Dorothy grew up surrounded by five sisters, one brother and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
She married and had one child, Mistie Dawn. While living in Wisconsin, Dorothy worked as a telephone operator. (Remember when you could press 0 and someone would answer?) She later moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she went to work for FedEx in Executive Services. After 25 years of helping customers when they needed it most, she retired from FedEx and focused on giving back to her community through a number of projects.
In 2001, Dorothy married Tom — the most patient and supportive man. In 2012, they moved to Byhalia, Mississippi, to be near their grandchildren. They were fixtures at school events, choir concerts and milestone celebrations, never missing a “Grandparents Night” (or the pricey trip to the book fair that always followed).
Dorothy and Tom were proud to be active members of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Byhalia, Mississippi. For eight years, she led the Weighted Blanked Project. The group produced more than 2,000 weighted blankets and 3,800 lap pads that were donated to families with autistic children and distributed to special education classrooms in Desoto County (Mississippi) Schools. Her efforts brought comfort to children and moments of peace to their parents and teachers. Dorothy and Tom were truly blessed during their 21 years together.
Dorothy is survived by her husband, Tom; sisters, Joan (Curtis), Judy, Sherry and Priscilla; brother, Cortez (Liz); daughter, Mistie (Scott); grandchildren, Jessica and Matthew; and aunts, nieces, nephews and friends.
Please join us as we remember Dorothy on Aug. 13. Visitation is scheduled for 1-2 p.m. at Brantley Funeral Home, 6875 Cockrum Street, Olive Branch, Mississippi, with a service to follow at 2 p.m. A catered reception from 3-5 p.m. will offer the opportunity for fellowship, laughter and remembrance of this life well-lived.
Mrs. Dorothy's Celebration of life will be live streamed at this link (please click the link and it will take you directly to Brantley's Facebook page): https://www.facebook.com/187641267918629
In lieu of flowers, Dorothy asked if you would make a donation to the charity of your choice.
