Dorothy Waller

A Celebration of Life for Mrs. Dorothy R. Waller brings about great joy in her transitioning to her forever place in the arms of Jesus on the early afternoon of October 21st, 2024. While many hearts ache for our loss of her physical presence with us, we all rejoice in the great legacy and heartprints she made upon the many lives she touched on this earth, blessing it with her presence. She was an extraordinary woman, daughter, sibling, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend, and servant of God who was blessed to have lived a full and beautiful life of 85 years, 2 months, and 21 days! Dorothy R. Waller was born on July 28, 1939. She was a beacon of joy and resilience, a matriarch of the family who was deeply cherished by all who knew her. Dorothy graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas Texas and furthered her education at North Texas State University in Denton Texas. She dedicated her career to: nurturing others; working as a Dietitian; managing the Dallas Woman's Club and the Monticello West Senior Living Community; and, working part-time helping out at the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce (way past retirement age) while also providing private home childcare. As a woman of faith, Dorothy was an active member of the Hamilton United Methodist Church. Her life was a testament to her strong Christian values, which were evident in her commitment to her community and her church. Dorothy's life was rich with personal relationships. She is survived by her three daughters: Micca Rogers, Stacy Rogers, and Shelly Stack, along with her son-in-law, Richard Stack. She was a proud grandmother to Landon Johns, Lance Johns, Lindsey Lightfoot, Garrett Lightfoot, Bryan Lightfoot Jr., and Cameron Drew, and a great-grandmother to Emma Meyers, Paisleigh Johns, Marlee Johns, and Hunter Truelove. Her family circle also included her sister-in-law Leigh Ham and nieces Nancy Turner, Susan Kreager, and Lisa Di Carlo. Dorothy was preceded in death by her nephew Alan Ham, her parents Columbus and Dorothy Ham, her uncle and aunt Mac and Ruth Hayes, her husband Darwyn Rogers, second husband Temple Waller, and all her beloved small dogs who have passed through the years that brought her so much happiness and joy. Dorothy was the life of every party and the heart of every family gathering. She was an active member of the Red Hat Society in Hamilton, Texas, and relished participating in community events, fairs, festivals, plays, movies, and dining out. Her giving spirit and love for life left a lasting impact on everyone she met, but her family was her greatest pride and joy. She had a beautiful marriage with Darwyn beginning the day they graduated college and started her own family legacy having three daughters that became the focus of her life. She played to each of their strengths and spent her life making sure they were always taken care of and in need of nothing. She was the strong-hold for each of her girls, equipping them all with a good education, life-long skill sets, and confidence in themselves to be independent and self-sustaining in life. She made it her life goal to teach them to be content God-fearing strong and independent women of service. All three girls adore their mother and cherish the happy memories of a wonderful childhood and the bond, love, and friendship they each shared with her in their adult life. She married Temple Waller in the early 80's, and they became a strong team who took care of each other. They had good friends who they associated with and enjoyed entertaining as well as indulging and being active in a gourmet cooking club; shopping; eating at new places; taking sunset boat rides on the lake; and taking their dog for daily outings around their ranch on the golf cart. They both loved having the grands and eventually great-grandchildren to spend the night and make the evening all about the kids! It was better than a trip to Disneyland and filled with constant attention and love! Landon, her first grandson dubbed her "Memaw." She was trying to teach him to say, "Grandma," and he would repeat, "Memaw," so she became Memaw to all from that day forward! She was the best grandmother anyone could wish for! Temple and Dorothy's love grew deep over the decades. One was not complete without the other. He pampered her daily, and she never stopped missing him after he passed. She remained in their home in Hamilton after his passing and began living full-time with her single daughter Micca, who moved in permanently to care for her while her other daughters were still teaching. Micca and Memaw got involved in the Hamilton Red Hats, and Memaw helped her run her import business. Due to declining health, extenuating circumstances, and her daughter Stacy retiring in September 2023, Memaw opted to move to Temple that December to reside with Stacy until her passing. During this time, Memaw wanted an apartment of her own as she had never had that opportunity after moving out of her mother's home into college and from college directly into a marriage. She found an Independent Senior Living Community in April at the Morada in Temple she decided to call home. She had a blast decorating her own place and lived there five months independently with daily caretaking by her daughter, Stacy, and frequent visits from her daughter, Shelly, and son-in-law Rich, who would make the four-hour drive to come see her a few days at a time and take her out for delicious drinks, meals, movies, and fun! It was always a party when they were in town, and she always looked forward to their next arrival. Memaw loved to go out on the town! As her health declined with a second onset of respiratory distress and heart erythema that she had finally beat a year ago slowly creeping back into her existence, it began to make it more difficult again to get around; but, she continued on, not letting it get her down. She was moved to Garden Estates Assisted Living once she needed to be on oxygen, where she captured the hearts of the staff and residents immediately and made fast forever friends during those last two months before her passing. It was very much a family atmosphere at Garden Estates, and she thrived in that environment! Her daughter, Stacy, moved in with her to give her 24-hour care the last two months of her life in conjunction with the assisted living staff, so she could age in place comfortably. She was up and around until her last day there! Her last two weeks were wheelchair-bound, but she was still out participating in activities as usual and enjoying the daily outings in the garden's fresh air and sunshine. The Saturday before her passing, she ate well at breakfast and lunch, savoring every bite of her stuffed pepper meal. She ate slowly and intentionally and repeatedly commented on how much she was enjoying that meal and took almost two hours to taste every delectable bite! Her and Stacy closed down the dining room that day. Little did we know that was going to be her last meal. After lunch, she said she was tired and wanted a nap instead of their usual time outside. She slept through dinner, not interested in getting up and wanting to go to bed instead of watching tv - which was unusual. She developed a cough while napping that began to labor her breathing through the night. The Hospice nurse was called first thing Sunday morning as something was not quite right when she woke up. She was able to sit up on her own, but her legs were unresponsive to standing up. Her sweet hospice nurse evaluated her extensively, and it was determined she was beginning to transition. In retrospect, she had told one of her caregivers on Saturday afternoon on her way to take her nap that she was going to be going home soon. We thought nothing of it at the time, but she was getting ready to go home! It literally happened overnight! It was so fast! She had been out socializing with her friends there that Saturday morning and afternoon, and by the next morning, she was verbally unresponsive and in respiratory distress. The family was called immediately and ushered in separately to say their good-byes. She saw all but her youngest grandson by Sunday evening; but, by the time it was his turn, it was after 10:00 p.m., so we let her rest from a busy day of visits, and he was on the agenda first thing Monday. When he arrived early Monday afternoon and hugged her and told her he loved her and came to hang out with her, she took her last breath and left this earth immediately. She was surrounded by love and family with Cameron, Stacy, and Shelly standing at her side holding her hands when she took her last breath. She was waiting for that last goodbye and was ready to go once she got it! She didn't miss a beat! She left in the blink of an eye, and the room was immediately filled with a peace beyond understanding as the three of us ushered her into the hands of the many angels in her room to usher her through those pearly gates on the street paved in gold where her Father in Heaven has prepared a place especially for her! Her laboring was over! Her job was complete, and she was headed to her Savior to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant! Well done!" Respecting her wishes, a private family celebration and send-off will be held. She is currently at Heritage Funeral Home in Lampasas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made in her honor to any non-profit organization advocating for children's rights, including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and organizations supporting single mothers, widows, orphans, safe houses, and efforts to stop child trafficking and abuse. Memaw loved the little children just as Jesus does and would be most honored by serving the little children of the world in extending her caring heart! Dorothy's beautiful giving soul and her legacy of love and service will forever be remembered and cherished by her family, friends, and all the lives she touched. Her legacy will live on through all the loved ones she has filled with her beauty for many years to come! Heritage Funeral Home of Lampasas, is entrusted with the care of Ms. Waller. Please visit www.heritagefuneraltx.com for more information.

Dorothy Waller

July 28, 1939 - October 21, 2024