She was a lifelong resident of Fort Smith until illness brought her to University Village Assisted Living Center in Tulsa. She graduated from Fort Smith High School and worked half days during her senior year, plus another three and a half years, as the only woman at Crouch Equipment Company. She was married to Otto Doville, Jr. on July 20, 1945 by Dr. Fred Roebuck one week after Otto’s return from duty as the pilot of a B24 bomber with the 454th Bomb Group during WWII. She loved people, and she loved to talk. She was active in her church, First United Methodist Church of Fort Smith, where she was a member of the old Crusaders Class and then the Gleaners Class; she was president of the class four times. She was also active in the Epsilon Sigma Alpha Sorority and elected Woman of the Year at one time. She was a member of the Board of Bost School and volunteered for 24 years on the surgical floor of Mercy Hospital (St. Edwards). She was a member of the Junior Civic League and a working member of the Red Stocking Review. She always said, “They never let me be on stage because you had to have talent.” Dorothy was the Registrar at Northside High School for a number of years and was made an honorary Colonel of the Northside High School ROTC (so she would outrank Otto.)
She and Otto were the owners of the Dairy Grand on Grand Avenue for ten years – she liked to say she helped raise a generation of the youth in Fort Smith. She was extremely proud of her selection as a Good Neighbor of the Month for her community service in Fort Smith.
Dorothy is survived by three daughters: Nancy Rhees of Tulsa, Melissa Thigpen of Fayetteville, and Amy Doville of Little Rock; five grandchildren: Rebecca Wilson (Jason), Heidi Thompson (Phil), Matthew Rhees (Jennifer), Michael Rhees, and Christopher Rhees; and six great-grandchildren: Hayden Wilson, Caroline Wilson, Spencer Rhees, Anna Rhees, Tessa Thompson, and Amelia Thompson; several nieces and nephews and their spouses. She was predeceased by her parents; her beloved husband of 53 years, Otto; her brothers, Major, Minor and Morgan who passed in infancy; her sisters, Marie, Gladys and Edna; and two nieces, as well as many loved ones in the Doville and Prentice families.
Memorials may be sent to: First United Methodist Church or the Bost School in Fort Smith.
Memorial Service will be 11:00 AM Saturday, March 30, 2019, at Edwards Funeral Home Chapel, with private burial in Forest Park Cemetery. The family will visit with friends following the memorial service.
Online condolences may be sent to www.edwardsfuneralhome.com
