Dorothy Ann Havard

Dorothy Ann Davis Havard was known to many, as far as we know loved by all who knew her, and called by many names: Dorothy, Dot, Momma, Mom, Aunt Dorothy, MamMa (“mam-maw”), That Lady With The Beautiful Yard, That Lady On The Corner Who Still Mows Her Own Yard, and perhaps even more besides the ones we knew or heard.

On New Year’s Eve, 1933, she was born the third child born to John and Lena Davis in Methodist Hospital. Her parents and sisters, Mattie Ruth and Johnnie Beth, brought her home to the Galena Park address at N Main and 1st St where she lived until she married James Bryden Havard. They rented a house for a few years on Betty Lane in Pasadena and were fortunate to build a home in Galena Park in 1960 where she lived the remainder of her life in “the first house on the left off Clinton after you turn at the gas station into the ‘Brinkley Addition’”.

She had one church membership her entire life at First Baptist Church of Galena Park where she worshiped GOD and served others faithfully devoting many years teaching young children ranging from 3 to 3rd grade. Helping to build a strong spiritual foundation in the young was how she chose to focus her contributions in the local church environment. She also served on many of the various church committees offering her perspective and experience.

Her mom was a competitive athlete in high school and college years in the early 1900s and passed down that love and drive for sports competition to her. From elementary to well into adulthood, Dorothy played sports, was a team leader, and contended well. She also ran track and field events in the Junior Olympics on two occasions.

Dorothy learned to cook from her mother and other family members and passed that same love for cooking to many in her family. The family gatherings were times for eating while bonding, catching up, laughing, being with, and finding the right perspective, motivation and will to keep moving forward in life to the best of her ability… then, there was dessert. She was committed to finding the best version of herself, no matter her circumstances and situations. She gained emotional and spiritual strength through connections and interactions with others, listened well to others, and was generous with support and practical help through being of service to those around her.

About half of her adult life was in various working roles, where she supported others. In the early days of her life, she helped Mr. and Mrs. Carl Brinkley at their business and while they operated the local post office. After high school, she took a job at the Hughes Tool Company. From there she moved to Ford Motor Company’s Distribution Center on Clinton, supporting the family financially while James established his own business starting in 1963. She worked daily with family in a few business ventures before retiring and getting to stay at home full-time to enjoy what she loved most: the time and freedom to serve others and work in her yard. After permanently closing the pool she converted her back yard into a lovely green space, complete with a bluebonnet field for every spring. Dorothy was truly a “giver” who was content to be a contributor and did not have a need to take center stage or be in the spotlight. She was also not afraid to be seen and known. She was very strong-willed and had no problem holding her own ground. She “had a backbone”.

She loved to laugh with others as much as anyone and had the wonderful gift and ability to laugh at herself. She enjoyed the competitive edge within friendships. One thing she found fun was to “see how much you could eat” of this or that… Several have recalled times they personally witnessed when Dorothy took the winner’s crown while eating 6 hot dogs, she had consumed up to a dozen HOT Shipley donuts on more than one occasion, she lost count and could almost not stop when it came to pancakes, and one time when out with family, she ate a whopping 6 dozen fried oysters!! What always made it surprising was her petite form relative to the volume of food she could consume. Those stories continue to provide entertainment at every retelling.

She did have one thing that she was no good at – directions. She could never seem to be geographically oriented and consequently was not able to easily discern east from west, nor north from south…. As kids (even as early as elementary school) we would be riding with her, she would miss her turn, and make the block or circle back around and after several failed attempts to make the correct turn, from the back seat the three of us would say “MOM! Turn here!” That same dynamic for getting turned around and lost created some built-in laughs for comic relief during the years she had the florist and greenhouse. She would make most of the deliveries, often calling saying “I’m lost!” If you know Dorothy, that did not prevent the delivery from happening.

A few other funnies about her include: if you weren’t 20 minutes early, you were “late”. After meals, we shared the chores of washing, drying, and putting away the dishes. During the rinsing, she said if you could keep your hands under the water, it wasn’t hot enough. She complained all through her 80s that it took her all week long to get her yard “done”, which she followed with the often quoted “that’s pathetic!”… and to that we would respond… it’s age appropriate for a 70 year-old! You’re 89 and doing AWESOME! Keep it up! She was still mowing her own yard through the last growing season of 2023. She was slowing down, but she pushed on.

Beginning early November, she finally expressed she had chest pain and chronic fatigue. Her answer to that was to just keep moving and doing what she could. She had been diagnosed in her 20s with several heart problems. She was most fortunate to get through all her life without any major heart-related setback or incident until this last fall. She lost her dad to a massive heart attack when he was 59. He and James Havard, “Big Daddy” Lambert, Burl Johnston, and Jack Acree were car-pooling to Petro Tex. Dorothy was one month shy of being 26. She never took for granted the days she was allotted.

The Lord had ordered her steps and numbered her 32,942 days. She lived them very well.