Obituary of Dorothea "Dotte" Lifsey Thomason
Dorothea (Dotte) Lifsey Thomason, 91, of Dallas, TX, passed away after a short illness on November 16, 2019 in Dallas, TX.
A memorial service will be held in the Wesley Chapel, Lovers Lane Methodist Church on Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 11 a.m. with Reverend Tom Hudspeth of Lovers Lane Methodist Church officiating.
Dorothea was born in Montgomery, AL to Roy and Estelle Lifsey on April 20, 1928. Her family moved to Virginia when she was 15 where she attended Blackstone High School, lettered in basketball, and graduated in 1945.
Dorothea worked as a telephone switchboard operator until she met and married Noel Thomason, a WWII Navy veteran and signal officer. Dorothea and Noel raised three children. She sewed all of her own clothes, and her daughter’s until Dianne was a teenager. Each summer, Dorothea and Noel tended the big family garden. Dorothea froze or canned much of what they grew. After raising three children, she became a caregiver for families with terminally ill parents or spouses, in and around Blackstone. This was by far her favorite job of all.
Dorothea loved to cook and taught all of her children some of her secrets. She enjoyed singing and dancing, sewing and crafts. For a number of years, she and Noel belonged to a square dance club in Virginia. Throughout her life she was always an active member of her church, serving as a deaconess, a Sunday school teacher and a member of the choir at the Blackstone Christian Church.
In 1998, a few years after Noel’s passing, Dorothea relocated to Dallas, TX to be closer to her daughter and quickly adopted the Dallas Mavericks as her favorite sports team. In Dallas, she made new friends, found a new church home, and enjoyed traveling throughout the US and Canada and enjoyed many day trips to sites around Texas.
Dorothea is survived by her son, Richard J. Thomason of Jacksonville, FL and daughter, Dianne Thomason and her partner, Cheryl Nichols of Arlington, TX. She is also survived by two granddaughters and their families: Sarah Thomason Bizzell, husband Robbie and their three children – Ella, Brody, and Molly; and Lindsay Thomason Greenfield, husband Drew and their two daughters – Lucy and Olive. She is preceded in death by her husband, Noel M. Thomason and her son, Michael Arthur Thomason as well as her siblings, Roy A Lifsey, Jr., Martha Trivelpiece, Charner R. Lifsey, and Carolyn Lifsey.
The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the staff at Parsons House Preston Hollow, where Dorothea lived happily for her final 18 months.
The family encourages memorial donations in lieu of flowers. Donations may be made to Parsons House Preston Hollow, (subject line – Staff Christmas Fund). Parsons address: 4205 W. Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75220.