Dorothy Braudaway Bockmon, 92 of Mount Vernon, Texas, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 23, 2020 in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
Dorothy was born March 18, 1928 in Pittsburg, TX to William Boyd Braudaway and Pearl Harris Braudaway. As the oldest in a family of six girls, you might say that Dorothy was predestined to have a lifelong maternal and compassionate spirit. Her patience and love for children carried throughout her life and she was affectionately known as Nanny, not only to her own family, but to her whole neighborhood. Dorothy, or Dot as many called her, never knew a stranger. She would talk with the grocery store clerk, a dear friend, or the person next to her in line, with the same genuine interest. If you had the chance to meet her, then you know the impact of her warm smile, joyful greetings, and contagious laughs. You would also soon realize that remembering names correctly was not her strong suit. Even her grandson lovingly remembers how she called him by his dad’s name more often than his own.
Dorothy grew up in Pittsburg, TX, and left school early to help raise her younger sisters. She had two children, Patti Minshew Duke and Roger Keith Minshew, from her first marriage to Roger Glynn Minshew. After helping run the family dairy for many years in Scroggins, they relocated to East Bernard in South Texas for 8 years where she worked as teacher’s aide. Once they moved back to Winnsboro, TX, she owned and operated South Franklin Grocery in Scroggins, TX for many years and helped run the family dairy and chicken houses.
On October 1985, Dorothy married the love of her life, Dewey Bockmon, and the pair resided in Daingerfield, TX but often traveled between Louisiana and Arkansas for his career as a racehorse owner and trainer. After his death in 1990, she lived in Pittsburg, TX, but soon relocated to Winnsboro, TX for several years to help care for her grandchildren. After they had graduated, she briefly moved to Mount Pleasant, TX before finally settling in Mount Vernon, TX for her later years.
Dorothy was an avid reader, as the good folks at Franklin County Library will attest. She possessed a distinctive talent for sewing, creating entire wardrobes for herself and her daughter. If you ever drove by her house, you would often catch her outside tending to her vegetable patch or potted herbs and flowers. She also held a lifelong love for cooking and often proclaimed there was “not anything she couldn’t cook”, although friends and family were especially fond of her banana pudding, zucchini bread, and banana bread. During the last few years, she also developed a strong bond with her cat, Snowball, who also misses her dearly.
Dorothy is survived by her daughter, Patti Duke and husband Michael of Scroggins, TX, and four grandchildren, Resia Lawrence and husband Matt of Corinth, TX, Alyssa Burton and husband Jason of Mount Vernon, TX, Kevin Minshew and wife Ashli of Longview, TX, and Aedan Duke of Austin, TX. Dorothy is remembered with love by her six great-grandchildren, Jenna Lawrence, Taylor Lawrence, Addison Minshew, Grayson Minshew, Ronan Burton, and Audria Burton. Dorothy is also survived by sisters, Billie Daniels and husband Jim of Liberty, TX, Martha Steele of Georgetown, TX, and Teresa McKinney and husband Brady of Waxahachie, TX.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dewey Bockmon, her son, Keith Minshew, her sister, Sue Richardson, and her sister, Jo Brison.
Arrangements are under the direction of Harvey Funeral Home in Mount Vernon, TX. According to her wishes, a celebration of life will be planned for friends and family at a future time. Memorial donations may be sent in her name to the Franklin County Library.
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