Dorothy Marie Hall's Obituary
Dorothy Marie Reeves Hall, 86, of Tulsa, OK, awakened to eternal life on January 23, 2017. She was born in Wichita, KS on July 30, 1930, as the eldest of 7 in the happy family of Buck and Opal Reeves, she then became the wife of Jack L. Hall on December 21, 1946, and joyously entered motherhood with the arrival of Leonard L. Hall on January 23, 1948, and Patricia Marie Hall Myers on April 28, 1951, with too many celebratory dates over the next five decades to list here denoting grandchildren, marriages of grandchildren, and finally, the great grandchildren she begged, pleaded and threatened us for. But Dorothy’s story was so much more than dates on the calendar of life.Dorothy was the leader, mentor, and rock of her family starting with her own siblings and their joyous families. Laughter always ensued when their “Sis” and “Aunt Dot” was around. She was quite simply a remarkable woman with a kind heart. She started her homemaker skills early on, assisting her mother with the raising of her siblings, then her own beloved children, her nieces and nephews never doubted how their fun Aunt Dot felt about them as she was always there to lend her siblings a hand with childcare when needed. Over the years she maintained close contact with her nieces and nephews, especially as her own siblings began to precede her in death. She raised two wonderful children of her own, Leonard and Patricia. Just like their mother, they never met a stranger, have always been kind, generous, and supportive to those they know and loved. They shared a very close relationship with their Mom, filled with laughter, and even some exasperation over the years – hearing Leonard’s voice exclaiming “Mother!” as he went on to lecture her about eating better was always a segue for her to launch into some funny saying back at him – “well, kiss my foot”, was a favorite. Trish, often times, had to be the voice of reason when her Mom wanted to go on some crazy goose chase all over town looking for whatever the latest, greatest thing of the time was. While she was larger than life, they grounded her, with love, and would do anything for her as she would for them. Her Grandchildren were, well, in a word – spoiled… But not rotten … That level of spoiling would wait for the Great Grandchildren who never doubted her adoration as they were smothered in hugs and kisses while that familiar and warm voice referred to them as angel baby – in between naps and marathon golf viewing, that is.She was the devoted and adored wife of Jack, the love of her life. They had many great adventures along the way. They cherished family, surrounded themselves with loyal friends, and seemingly never met a stranger. There was never such a thing as too much family time as far as they were concerned. Their home was always open, the larger the gathering the better. Be it for watching football games or other sporting events, hosting weddings of friends and family members, holiday gatherings, or just simple Sunday dinners. All were approached with the same belief that time spent together was well spent time. While their life together was cut short, it was a lifetime worth of love.With only an 8th grade education Dorothy was able to accomplish so much in her lifetime. She began her career in public service with volunteer work for the Tulsa Labor Council, the AFL-CIO, canvassing for several election campaigns, and volunteering for the American Legion Auxiliary. She was influential in the women’s movement and an ardent supporter of labor organizations. As she worked on the election campaign for JFK and LBJ she received personal correspondence from JFK expressing his appreciation for her efforts, and his invitation to join committees he would be working with that pertained to women’s rights. She attended various inaugural celebrations on the National and State Levels and cherished those experiences. She worked most of her life for the Tulsa County Election Board as a Registration Coordinator, or as we called her – a living Rand McNally Map… if you never had the experience of asking her where an address was within Tulsa County, you missed out on witnessing genius in action. I think we all tried to trip her up, and failed miserably. She would always catch us if we threw her a ringer – “you son of a gun, there’s no such address” was usually the retort, followed by laughter… always laughter. And while this was a paying job, she still approached it with the same dedication and passion as her volunteer public service work. She was a fervent supporter of young people getting involved in the democratic processes of our Nation and doing her part to make certain they understood how our government worked and the important part we all play in it. She was instrumental in her children, some relatives, and her grandchildren having the opportunity to volunteer during elections, work at the election board, page in the State Senate, and even had one grandson go to Washington, DC as a Congressional Scholar. She was unapologetically ardent in her political affiliation, as she was stubborn about the numbers she played at the track, but she would not have it any other way. You vote or get involved to drive change or you keep your mouth shut. And yes, she voted in 2016.. with pride of country from a bed in a skilled nursing facility – no surprise to her family.In her everyday life she liked experiences, big or small, but especially the ones she could share with family and friends. She liked to take it all in and laugh it all out. From simple pleasures to larger than life experiences. She cooked and baked with a passion for pleasing others, and was always happy to find a recipe her grandkids would like. It is well known that all of her grandchildren had gatherings after proms or graduations for her biscuits and gravy, and to many of their friends she is “the pumpkin bread lady”. She enjoyed trips to visit family whether they were across the nation or across town. Favorite excursions with loved ones included Vegas and other cities with casinos, cities with Horse Racing Tracks, and the simple things, like nights at the bingo hall with her mom and sisters, gatherings with friends at The Chapparel or the American Legion; and even road trips with her grandkids, especially when they became licensed drivers – more naps… although golf on radio is sporadic at best. Dorothy took some pretty exciting trips in her lifetime that had particular special meaning to her; a long stay in California with her Aunt Eunice and Cousin Nance’ when she was a child; a trip to Pearl Harbor after her husband died, a trip to Jamaica to visit her beloved Jack while he was working there, and her last big trip was likely her favorite – a long awaited return to California one last time to visit her beloved cousin Nance’. A very long get away with Trish which included stops along the way filled with love and laughter – surprising her nephew Greg on his 50th birthday, visiting a very special young girl who had adopted Dorothy into her heart just as much as Dorothy adopted her when a loving presence was so very needed in her young life, and on to The Price is Right with her daughter – for those who have ever been to her house on a weekday you know this was one of the highlights of her life – as she won every game she played at home.Dorothy is survived by her daughter Patricia Myers, Grandchildren Kimberlynn Tovrea (Martin), David Myers (Sue), Justin Hall (Gwenn), Steven Myers (Shelli), and great-grandchildren, Meghan Tovrea, Brodie Myers, Bryce Hall, Kevin Tovrea, Carmen Myers, Chase Hall, and Heiden Montoya, her brother Joe Reeves (Maxine), Sister in Law Nancy Reeves, Brother in law Gary Morris, many nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews and even great grands in the niece and nephew department – she adored babies and was always so happy to welcome new ones into the family. She was very happy to have had the family gather in September for a reunion. We thank all who could attend. While she always let us know she was so very proud of us, it is we who were so very proud of her. We will miss her, but we know she is in a better place.Now it is time to celebrate a life truly lived (and figure out what to do with all of the donkeys..): Donations in lieu of flowers can be given to Paralyzed Veterans of America, her chosen charity (www.pva.org); or a great way to pay tribute to a soul that was bigger than life is to VOTE.. and continue to do so, without fail… we were threatened to be out of the will – but all we can do to encourage you to do so is to tell you it would make her very, very happy.
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Describe a day with Dorothy you’ll never forget.
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