Mary Dale Thurman Dotson was born September 11, 1931, in Ardmore, Oklahoma to Dale M. and Helen Maurine Adams Thurman. She passed away peacefully at home, September 21, 2017, with her husband and daughters in attendance.
With her parents and brother, Mary moved to McKinney when she was in the fourth grade, graduating from McKinney High School in 1949. She married Norman G. Dotson, in McKinney, on November 23, 1951. Their long love affair began with their first date on March 29, 1947; a date dear to their hearts, and which was celebrated each year.
Mary graduated from East Texas State College and later received her Master’s Degree in Education from North Texas State University. After following Norman through his tour in the Air Force, including a three-year assignment in Japan, Mary and Norman established their family in McKinney, where they chose to raise their daughters in a small town.
Mary was an elementary teacher and later served as a Special Education Counselor in the McKinney school system. She was a member of the Art Club of McKinney, where she held many offices, including serving as President three different times. She served on the Board of Directors of Heard-Craig Foundation, and was a member of the Owl Club, serving as Historian, then President. She was a lifelong member of First United Methodist Church in McKinney and the Fellowship Sunday School Class. Mary was also a member of the Kiwanis Club of McKinney.
Mary enjoyed traveling with Norman overseas to England and Scotland, France, Italy, and a river cruise across northern Europe. And there were many memorable trips in the States. But the most interesting of all were the times they took “the roads less traveled”. They would start on an interstate and then quickly venture off on a side road where they enjoyed many days visiting small towns with unique histories and businesses. Those were the vacations she loved most of all during a lifetime of making memories- that was the essence of their life together.
But mostly, she loved sitting at home with Norman, talking, watching television and reminiscing, just enjoying the simple things together in the home that she loved so much.
Mary is survived by her beloved boyfriend and husband of seventy years, Norman Dotson; loving daughters, Debbie Christie and husband Corbett and Denise Jones and husband Steve; granddaughters, Candice Christie Singleton and husband Rob, Kelly Christie Pemberton and husband Tom and Shannon Jones; four great-granddaughters, Maddie and Audrey Singleton and Hannah and Meg Pemberton.
Mary is preceded in death by her parents and brother, Jessie Thurman.
A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at First United Methodist Church, 315 N. Church Street, McKinney, Texas 75069. Interment will follow at Ridgeview Memorial Park in Allen, Texas. The family will receive friends during a visitation being held from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Monday evening at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 Central Expressway N., Allen, Texas 75013.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Cancer Society for Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia and Mantel Cell Lymphoma Research, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73123 or www.cancer.org.