Barbara Ann Dorman & Louis Aaron Dorman Married June 13, 1953 Laid to rest June 13, 2020

Barbara Ann Dorman, 85, of Port Acres, passed away on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, at Franklin Park Retirement Community in Round Rock, Texas. Louis Aaron Dorman, 87, of Port Acres, passed away on Thursday, May 7th in Bryan, Texas, surrounded by his family.

Barbara was born in Port Arthur on February 16, 1935 to Joseph “JC” Broussard and Ann “Bernice” Comeaux Broussard. She was a wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, and she loved her family and friends with every bit of her great big heart. She went by many names: Barbara to some, Judge to others, Aunt Barbara to many. She was “Hon” or “Shug” to Louis, her neighbor, high school sweetheart, and then husband of nearly 67 years. She was “Mom”, “Mommy Dearest”, and “Mommy Dear” to her four daughters, and “Granny”, “Grananny”, “Gurnanny”, “Nee”, and “GG” to her seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She was the family matriarch and the glue that kept extended family from several sides together. When Louis and Barbara first married, Louis was stationed at Bryan Air Force Base, and Barbara worked briefly at Texas A&M. After a four-year stint in the Air Force, they returned to their beloved Port Acres with a two-year old. Through the years, Barbara held many small jobs but was most proud of being a very involved “stay at home” mom. In the early 1970s, Barbara took a job at the Jefferson County sub-courthouse, in Port Arthur, working the “license rush” in the tax office. She impressed many people and was often asked to fill in when an employee was on vacation or sick leave. When Judge Asa Trahan’s clerk decided not to return after maternity leave, Barbara took that role, and after Trahan’s death, she was encouraged to run for office to take his place. In May 1982, Barbara defeated seven opponents without a runoff to become Justice of the Peace of Precinct One, Place Two in Jefferson County. She was a Justice of the Peace until her official retirement in 1994 (with a brief return to public service to cover a court until a new judge was elected). During her years as a public servant, Barbara touched many lives; she married hundreds of people, went on countless inquests, counseled citizens, and made many judgements in her court. She was known to be firm but fair and never performed a wedding, went out on an inquest, or held a hearing without prayer first. After retirement, she continued to perform marriages, including her final wedding on May 14, 2017, when she proudly married her granddaughter, Brooke Denman, to Chris Lowry. Barbara received many awards and accolades over the years. One such honor was to be named Quota Club Woman of the Year in 1983, given to a woman in the community whose generous contributions and service deserve recognition. Barbara was a CYO sponsor from 1969-1982. In the early1980s, Barbara received the For God and Youth Award, given to her by the Diocese of Beaumont Catholic Youth Organization. For God and Youth Award is presented to the parish youth ministry adult leader who faithfully lived out their call of service to the youth of their parish as a Christian example and role model. Barbara left a note with the award: “My most treasured award. Send it with me when I die”. Everyone who knew Barbara knew she loved her church, Little Flower of Jesus Catholic Church, in Port Acres. It was her church since childhood. Her Catholic faith was very important to her. She liked to arrive 30 minutes early so she could listen to the choir she loved so much. Barbara was very active in helping with church projects; she loved people and enjoyed serving the community, her church, her family, and her friends whenever they needed it. Besides their home in Port Acres, Barbara and Louis loved hosting friends and family at both their deer lease camp and lake house. Barbara grew up in a family of hunters, and she and Louis developed and shared a love of deer hunting. Dorman Thanksgivings were enjoyed at the deer lease for many years; memories of campfires, games, four-wheeler rides, and more will last forever. Louis and Barbara’s lake house in Toledo Bend was another retreat for family and friends. Barbara initiated the annual Fourth of July parade, fireworks, and neighborhood celebration that became a family tradition for many. Barbara’s favorite times at the lake were sitting on the wrap-around porch with Louis and family. One more group of people that was very important to Barbara and Louis is “The Crowd”. The Crowd is a group of seven couples who have partied, traveled, celebrated joys, and shared sorrows with each other since the late 1960s. The children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of these seven families are all one big “Crowd” family now. Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, “JC” and Ginny Broussard and Bernice and Martin Trahan; her only sibling, brother Donnie “DJ” Broussard; beloved grandmother Elsie “CeCe Ma” Broussard; a very special “adopted mom”, Aunt Georgie Graham; and her oldest grandson, Jayce Louis Drake. Survivors include her husband, Louis Dorman of Round Rock; daughters, Juliee Denman and her husband Billy of Tyler, Kerrie Dorman of Bryan, Jo Lene Dorman of Harker Heights, and Janis Holzapfel and her husband Carl of League City. Barbara is also survived by grandchildren Sherry (Jay) Falgout, Brooke (Chris) Lowry, Derek (Caitlin) Denman, Carli Holzapfel, Caris (Peter) McCabe, and Faith Dorman, great-grandchildren Noah, Sofia and Gabriel Falgout, Liam and Ava Lowry, Isaac Dowd and Moriah Moore, Simon Denman and baby McCabe due in July. Barbara is also survived by Connie Broussard, Joan Etta Harris and many other relatives.

Louis was born November 26, 1932 in Plain Dealing, Louisiana to Clarence Earl “CE” Dorman, Sr. and Nelle Esther Greene Dorman. He was a loving son, brother, and husband; an adored daddy to his four girls; and a fun PaPa/Poppy to his grandchildren and great grandchildren. After moving to Port Acres as a teenager, he spotted a cute neighbor girl and proclaimed to his brother that he was going to marry her. On December 7, 1951, he joined the U.S. Air Force and looked forward to traveling the world. His first assignment was Bryan Air Force Base in Bryan, Texas, where he spent his entire four years of service working as an airplane mechanic. On June 13, 1953, he did indeed marry his neighbor and sweetheart, Barbara Ann Broussard. In late 1955, the young couple returned to Port Acres to raise their family. Louis and Barbara shared a love of the outdoors and often would spend a month camping at Dam B. They also loved to deer hunt, and the entire family spent much time at their deer leases in Chester, Woodville and Warren. For many years, the family celebrated every Thanksgiving and Louis’s birthday in the woods. Louis also loved fishing, which led he and Barbara to buy a lake house at Toledo Bend. One of the places he was the happiest was at the lake house, where he enjoyed fishing with friends and family. He particularly loved teaching all the grandchildren the joys of fishing. He was the ultimate griller and fish fryer. The family loved to pile in the pontoon boat, and Louis would take them to the sand bar to swim or out to the middle of the lake to watch a sunset. He also was decorator extraordinaire for the family float for the annual 4th of July Parade. He loved taking the grandchildren riding on the jet ski, four-wheeler, golf cart, and boat. Louis was a hero to his four daughters who were each self-proclaimed “Daddy’s girls”. He was a handyman and a jack of all trades. The girls knew there was nothing Daddy couldn’t fix or take care of for them. Louis was a member of the Little Flower Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus and the Port Arthur Sportsman Club. He was employed with Quantum Chemical and predecessors for over 30 years, retiring as a Supervisor in 1987. Louis was preceded in death by 4 weeks by his beloved Barbara. Also preceding him in death were his parents, C.E. and Nelle Dorman, his only sibling, brother Clarence Dorman, Jr., and his oldest grandson, Jayce Drake. Survivors include his daughters, Juliee Denman and her husband Billy of Tyler, Kerrie Dorman of Bryan, Jo Lene Dorman of Harker Heights, and Janis Holzapfel and her husband Carl of League City. Louis is also survived by grandchildren Sherry (Jay) Falgout, Brooke (Chris) Lowry, Derek (Caitlin) Denman, Carli Holzapfel, Caris (Peter) McCabe, and Faith Dorman, and great-grandchildren Noah, Sofia, and Gabriel Falgout, Liam and Ava Lowry, Isaac Dowd and Moriah Moore, Simon Denman, and baby McCabe due in July.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, June 13, 2020, at St. Therese the Little Flower of Jesus Catholic Church in Port Acres with burial to follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Groves, Texas.

The family misses being able to get hugs and share sorrow with so many because of these difficult times, but they are so grateful for the outpouring of love via phone calls, texts, and Facebook posts. The love and prayers are felt and appreciated. During the current COVID-19 outbreak, the family requests that anyone who would like to be a part of Louis’s Life Celebration please sign the Guest Book and leave a memory at www.grammier-oberle.com. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Therese the Little Flower Catholic Church (6412 Garnet Avenue, Port Arthur, TX 77640-1308) in Louis’s memory.