Dorothy Ann "Dot" Masterson

Dorothy Ann Masterson, née Evers, 85, passed away peacefully at home August 22, 2013 in Houston, Texas surrounded by her loving family. She was born on her parents’ farm near Garber, Oklahoma on November 12, 1927, the third child of Emil and Katharine Evers. The country doctor who delivered her was drunk and instead of writing Dorthea, after her grandmother, mistakenly wrote Dorothy and indicated she was male on her birth certificate. Neither was ever corrected.

She grew up on that same farm with her parents and, eventually, six siblings during the Depression and Dust Bowl, attending the one-room Home Valley School and then Garber High School. She went from a farmer’s daughter to a beauty queen. The first in her family to attend college, she went to the University of Oklahoma in 1945. It was there she met her future husband, George, a pilot who had recently returned from fighting in the Pacific. After his persistent wooing or “stalking” as she called it, they were married on January 22, 1949 in Oklahoma City during a blizzard so bad that neither of their parents could attend. They celebrated 59 devoted years together, sharing a love of travel while he indulged her passion for shopping…especially for a bargain.

Elegant and always impeccably dressed, she was famous for her kindness, generous spirit and thoughtfulness. She always made time to help anyone regardless of her other obligations. She would spend the night next to someone she barely knew in the hospital or show up with a home-cooked meal for a family going through a crisis. Her home and heart were always open. Everyone who knew her remembers her smile, laugh and delightful sense of humor.

Known as Dot to her friends, she was active in all of her children’s schools and activities as well as her church, but at her husband’s insistence, did not work from after the birth of her first child until her youngest was five. Her first foray back into the workforce was as a hostess/bookkeeper and, in a pinch, sometimes the chef at the Gaslight Dinner Theater in Tulsa. After George was transferred to Houston in 1975 she became a Welcome Wagon hostess in the Clear Lake City area, a job she could do during the day. Her warmth and outgoing personality made her an immediate success and she met hundreds of newcomers to the area.

A Realtor acquaintance suggested she would excel in real estate and she got her license shortly thereafter, launching a successful 33-year career as a real estate broker, reluctantly retiring at 82 due to declining health. She was one of the top producers for Re/Max Space Center-Clear Lake for over 20 years, garnering many sales awards including being a member of the Hall of Fame and the 100% Club. She loved her job and would always go the extra mile for her clients, particularly for first-time buyers by deferring part of her commission. She always showed up with a full lunch for new homeowners on moving day. She combined her business savvy and extraordinary cooking skills by hosting brokers’ open house luncheons. As soon as Realtors realized Dot was hosting one, they were lined up and waiting before the door opened. “For Sale by Dot Masterson” quickly became “Sold” signs.

She was preceded in death by her husband George, parents and brother George. Dorothy is survived by her son Michael and his wife Donna of Los Angeles, and daughters Marla Sullivant and husband Tim of Houston, Michele Swisher and husband Kyle of Oklahoma City and daughter Melanie of Houston. She has six grandchildren: Kristina Peterson and husband Drew, Sierra Massey and husband Kyle, Sheridan Sullivant, and Hunter, Erin and Ryan Swisher. She loved recently meeting her first great-grandchild, Elliana Peterson. She is also survived by her sisters Lorlene “Pat” Patterson and Berniece Karner and husband Harold as well as her brothers Harold Evers, Paul Evers and wife Sherry and Lloyd Evers, and sister-in-law Jacqueline Masterson. She also leaves numerous loving and beloved nieces and nephews and their children.

She was a charter member of Messiah Lutheran Church and a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Houston. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, August 29, 2013 at Hahn-Cook/Street & Draper in Oklahoma City followed by interment at Rose Hill Burial Park. Visitation will be from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 28. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her memory to the charity of your choice or to Texas Children’s Hospital for the Children’s Miracle Network, 1919 South Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214, Houston, TX 77030.