Dorothy Lou Adams-Stone

Dorothy Adams Stone passed away May 14, 2018 at the age of 82.
Dorothy was born November 15, 1935 in Iola, Texas to Ernest and Ida May (Day) Adams. The third of four children, Dorothy grew up on a cotton farm. She used to hide in the rows of cotton until her father, Pappy found her. One of her favorite memories was taking a load of cotton to the cotton gin while riding next to her father on the wagon seat. Her parents and the rest of her family used to play dominoes in the back yard under the shade trees. She loved and respected her parents, and always strove to honor them. She made sure that her parents were always taken care of. Dorothy went to school in Iola until she turned 16 and got married. She was proud to go back and get her GED in 1978.
Dorothy loved her kids with all her heart, and would do anything for them. She made their childhood Christmases special, even when there wasn’t a lot of money. She was always very involved in her children’s lives. When her kids were little, she taught Baptist Sunday school. Over the course of the years, she was room mother and 4-H leader. Dorothy served meals at the Baptist church for the youth after home football games, and was in the stands cheering at almost every basketball, football, and volleyball game the kids were a part of. She was the mom in the stands that all the high school girls went to to get a Kleenex, safety pin, or whatever else they needed. Everyone knew they could count on Dorothy. That was true for all the family as well. She took care of everyone, usually putting them before herself. In this way, she lived out her Southern Baptist faith. She practiced what the Bible teaches, caring for her family and helping those in need. She loved gospel music.
Dorothy was a very hard worker, providing for her son Roy and daughter Shirley. She worked hard on the family’s dairy farm, and often worked extra at the local café and grocery store. There were a lot of very early mornings and hard physical labor. She grew a huge garden, canning and freezing a freezer full of vegetables to last all winter. After moving to Bryan in 1980, she worked in the office for Utotem. After Circle K bought Utotem, she became a Circle K store manager and eventually a manager trainer. Dorothy was called on not only to train new managers, but also to clear up problems in troubled operations. She made many friends and really enjoyed life with her Circle K family, often going bowling with them.
Luckily, as hard as Dorothy worked, she was able to enjoy life as well. Her favorite trip of all time was when she got to go to Switzerland with her sister Louise and her brother-in-law Charles. It was a dream come true for her and she talked about it again and again. When her sister and brother-in-law retired to Cody, Wyoming, Dorothy as glad to visit many times. She loved Yellowstone, the mountains, and the wildlife there. On car trips, she was always the one who could spot wildlife first. Some of her favorite trips were with her friends. She went to Branson, Missouri and to the casinos in Louisiana with her card-playing friends. She loved playing cards with her friends. She also enjoyed reading, watching movies, sewing, embroidery, and crocheting. Dorothy was known to be the greatest baker of homemade rolls, cakes, and cookies.
Dorothy was a strong woman who treated people right. She was independent with a “get it done” attitude, never waiting for someone else to do it for her. She was most often called a “sweet lady.” Even in her last weeks in the nursing home, two different attendants commented on how sweet her smile was and how she always said “thank you” for every little thing they did for her. One attendant said, “She actually makes my day and I’m the caregiver, not the patient.”
Dorothy leaves behind her daughter and son-in-law Shirley and Steve Parker of Spring, her son Roy McDougald of Bryan, her three grandchildren Andrea McDougald, Roy McDougald Jr., and Dana Winters, her five great-grandchildren Tiffany, Logan, McKenzie, Cade, and Teagan, her sister Louise Madesett of Cody, Wyoming, her nieces Kathy McDonald and Cheryl Adams, her nephew Bart Adams, and her special friends, Dora McDougald and Delores Baldwin. She was preceded in death by her husbands Ed Carson and Larry Stone, both of Bryan.
To honor her life, Dorothy’s family has planned a Celebration of Life at 1:00 pm on Sunday, May 20, 2018 at Hillier Funeral Home of Bryan, 2301 East 29th Street, Bryan, Texas 77802. Everyone, not just family, is invited for the reception following the service. In lieu of flowers, Dorothy’s family asks that donations be made in her name to the American Heart Association.