Dorothy was born at Whitson, TX near Moody, the daughter of A.C. "Ott" Irvin and Grace Robinett Irvin. She attended Whitson and Moody schools, graduating from Moody High School in 1936.
On April 4, 1961, she married Narce Caliva in Gibraltar, British Crown Colony and honeymooned in The Canary Islands and North Africa.
Dorothy joined 1st Baptist Church Moody, at age 17 and returned to Moody in 1989 and resumed her church membership. She was a long time member of the Dorcas Class and Hazel Potter's Bible study group.
She worked in California several years, the last being a corporate member of Gertsch Products Inc. During this time, she was a founding member and past president of "Executive and Technical Women of Industry", Los Angeles, CA chapter.
During her marriage, she served as a volunteer for American Red Cross for 25 years in many settings, including Spain, Japan and Germany. Her love of travel was a life long thing. Both with her husband and on her own, she saw much of the world.
She was preceded in death by both parents, both brothers, Jack Irvin and Ben Irvin, sister Helen Paxton and her longtime companion her Siamese cat "Tex". She is survived by a niece Linda Coker and husband Larry, niece Sandra Cosper and husband Rusty and nephew Mack Irvin and wife Jamie, great nieces Grace Maas and Denise Griffith, Lori Jones, great nephews Todd Coker, Brandon Coker, Gary Cosper Jr., and cousins Sandra Hansen and Sue Poulson.
In lieu of flowers, family requests memorials to Moody Library or Moody First Baptist Church.
