Dorothy Debord

Dorothy Delta Debord died peacefully on Sunday, April 29, 2018, at Christian Care Center in
Mesquite, Texas, which she called home for the past seven years. She was Ninety-Five years old.
She is survived by her son Randy and his wife Monica, grandson Daniel Debord, granddaughter
Devon Heidel and her husband Brandon, all from Sugar Land, Tx., stepdaughters Connie Schaffner
and husband Sam from Wichita Falls, TX., and Sharon Williams-Hylton of Oklahoma City, OK., and
many nieces, nephews, cousins and loving friends.
She was a member of North Liberty Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs, Texas.
Dorothy was born on October 24, 1922, in the in the rural farming area of Hutchins, Tx. She grew up
in a small, wooden farmhouse with no running water.
She was the 8th child of nine between Florence Edna King and William Allan Massey and is
preceded in death by all. They were a hard-working, sun-up to sun-down farming family.
She had a tight-knit bond with all her brothers and sisters, but her connection to her sisters Emma
Louise and Mary Beatrice was especially close. Their lives were beautifully intertwined in a way that
is rare today.
As a child at the height of the Great Depression, she was forced to drop out of school in the fourth
grade to work the family farm. She learned that life was hard but working hard was part of life. Her
motto was "you gotta keep movin'," of which she did her entire life.
Even at age 95, her day began with her usual 'rounds.' After making her bed, putting on her make-up,
then fixing her hair, she would 'make the rounds' of Christian Care Center, stopping to visit with
everyone along the way. Afterward, she attended the daily exercise classes.
Dorothy proudly worked at Plastic Manufacturing Company in Dallas, Texas, for over sixteen years
as a machine operator. The "Pill Machine" as she called it - would mix the plastic pellets into a "pill"
shape to later be "pressed" into plates, cups, or bowls. With her employee discount, everybody in the
family had some type of plastic dishware in their kitchen cabinets, and probably still do. Her sister
Emma Louise worked with her for a while, as did her son Randy.
Dorothy had a life-long love of gardening and being outdoors. After working her shift at PMC, she
would come home, change clothes and spend the rest of the afternoon outside "piddling around" as
she liked to call it.
Every season she grew some of the sweetest, juiciest tomatoes you ever tasted. She would harvest
20+ tomato plants a year along with onions, squash, peppers, okra, watermelon, cantaloupe, and
more. She would always share with friends and family.
She raised fruits and vegetables everywhere she lived: Peaches, Plums, Figs, and even Grapes are
being enjoyed today by total strangers due to her efforts - and she would be glad knowing they
weren't going to waste.
She wasted nothing. If there were fruits or vegetables remaining, she would 'can' them - making
jellies, jams, crushed tomatoes, and pickles.
She was an avid Dallas Cowboy fan during the Tom Landry/Rodger Staubach days. She
watched every game, and knew every player. If you sat next to her when Rodger was
scrambling... you might have a bruise on your arm from her swinging away and yelling at Rodger
to "throw that ball!"
Every Sunday , Dorothy and her sisters would spend hours preparing Sunday Dinner for
everyone to share. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas they made home-made chocolate,
coconut, and pecan pies, as well as divinity candy, fudge, and brownies.
Dorothy always prepared the turkey and dressing. She used a roaster that she brought out just
for special occasions. Her specialty was the dressing; A mix of cornbread and toasted white
bread, onions, celery, cream of chicken, cream of celery, cream of mushroom, turkey broth,
giblets, hard-boiled eggs, and just the right amount of sage.
There were few things Dorothy enjoyed more than "Garage sale-ing." She would spend all day
Saturday driving from one garage sale to the next.
This was a social network through which she met many new friends and kept up-to-date on how
others were doing.
She led her life in a peaceful, loving way - and will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

A tribute to Dorothy Debord can be found on https://www.allaccesssportingnews.com/Obituary/Dorothy-Delta-Debord