Dorothea Backenstoe Kenworthey

With hearts full of sorrow & gratitude, we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Dorothea "Dottie" Backenstoe Kenworthey. After a near-century of care & kindness, Dottie left us peacefully on September 21, 2026, soon after her 99th birthday. leaving behind a legacy of love & laughter that will surely endure

Born August 24, 1927, in Galveston, Texas to Miers and Rose Backenstoe, Dottie passed an idyllic island childhood raised by the waves and sunshine, maintaining a life-long love of the water. After graduating from Ball High School in Galveston & Hockaday Junior College in Dallas, Dottie received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Texas in 1947 with a theatre degree that nurtured her passion for acting, leading her to perform in many productions at both the Galveston & San Antonio Little Theater companies. Dottie's romantic heart coupled with her love of the stage led the way for finding her real-life prince charming, Charles Warner Kenworthey, while starring opposite him in a Galveston production of Dark Victory in 1949, after which they married in 1951. Dottie's acting career shifted to her greatest mission as an educator, having worked with NEISD for over 35 years first as an elementary school teacher and then as a Homebound instructor, traveling to the homes of ill & disabled children to provide them the loving learning environment they deserved. Many of her students remained her dearest friends for decades after her instruction.

Dottie maintained that the happiest time of her life was being married to Charlie and raising their three wonderful boys, Chuck, Jack & Rick. As a family, they often took road trips around the U.S. and were known for playing games-Dottie was never without a pack of cards or a few pair of dice and pulling them out at a restaurant with a call of "let's play a game!" was a ritual that lasted well into her later years.

After raising three rough-and-tumble boys, Dottie finally got some precious girls to love when her dear daughter-in-law Melanie brought in the "lights of her life," her granddaughters Tanya & Shara. Singing along to musicals and playing dress-up, Dottie taught them how to dream. Dottie was overjoyed to become a great-grandmother in 2019 with the arrival of Nolan Warner.

Throughout her life, Dottie established or was a part of a great number of benevolent & charitable organizations, including the establishment with Charlie of the Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center and Nursery School in San Antonio; NEISD's Parents Council for Special Education; active member of the Jr. League of San Antonio; President of Chi Omega Alumni Association; active member of St. Luke's Episcopal church's Daughter of the King community outreach, as well as countless other groups aimed at spreading her enduring message of love & faith.

Dottie was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 61 years, Charles Warner Kenworthey, in 2012; and her eldest son, Charles Warner Kenworthey, Jr. in 2024.

She is survived by her sons, John Miers Kenworthey, Richard Marshall Kenworthey and his wife, Melanie Lynn Kenworthey; her granddaughters, Tanya Lynn (Kenworthey) Forks and her husband, David Nolan Forks & Shara Rose Kenworthey; her only great-grandchild, Nolan Warner Forks; her godchildren, Clay Fulcher, Marcy Downey Dunn, Alecia Moursund, Eileen Buckley & Melody Palmer Reyes, and a host of loving friends.

A Memorial Service will take place on Friday, October 30, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 11 St Lukes Ln, Alamo Heights, TX 78209.