Dorothy Dennard’s journey with dementia ended after a beautiful sunrise on Thursday, May 14, 2026 at the age of 96 years in Athens, Texas.

Dorothy was born to her proud parents Carlos and Ruth Patterson at the home of her maternal grandparents Effie and Wayne Cornelius at Ridge, Texas on May 6, 1930.

She dearly loved both sets of grandparents and told her family many wonderful tales of her time spent with her cousins at her maternal grandparents’ house.

As a young child she lived in Goldthwaite and later during her early teen years in San Antonio and Harlingen where her father served in the Army Air Corp. She graduated from Goldthwaite High School in 1947.

Dorothy married Ed Dennard on February 21, 1948 in Goldthwaite, Texas. Within a few months they moved to Jal, New Mexico where Ed worked for El Paso Natural Gas. While living in New Mexico they had 3 children (Richard, Michael, and Patricia) all born at the nearest hospital in Kermit, Texas.

The family later moved to Kermit and then on to Odessa, Texas. In her early years of marriage, Dorothy was a brownie leader, Cub Scout leader and a Sunday School teacher. She also helped with many elementary school class functions and worked as a bookkeeper with her husband in several businesses that they owned.

After Ed passed away in 2001, Dorothy moved to Goldthwaite in 2003 to be closer to her mother and sister. She loved living in Goldthwaite and getting reacquainted with old friends and classmates. She stayed busy playing Wahoo, going to many functions at the senior center, the First Baptist and Methodist Churches, and going to the Pearl Bluegrass Jam at Pearl, Texas with her friends. While she had trouble hearing the music, she really enjoyed the desserts and people watching. She also really enjoyed her volunteer time at the Mills County Museum and visits from her children and grandchildren.

In September, 2020 she moved in with her daughter Tricia and son-in-law Terry and lived with them for over a year. After a fall and rehab, she moved into memory care in Tyler. Then as her health continued to decline she moved into a skilled nursing home facility in Athens, Texas.

Dorothy’s sassiness and playfulness will be missed and thought about often, especially her special words which provided a lot of laughter. Some of our favorites were:

Chick-a-fill for Chick-Fill-A; shoot a monkey; Carter had pills; and flittered.

And, every time we went to the neighborhood Walmart she commented they were doing a land office business. Most of the time she enjoyed sitting in the car and watching all the shoppers coming and going.

Tricia and her husband Terry along with many special caregivers and friends will smile when we think about Dorothy saying her favorite word,“MERCY”, when she is reunited with her heavenly family.

She was predeceased by her husband Ed; a son Richard and his wife Judy, a son Michael; a sister Cornelia Boykin; her parents Ruth and Carlos Patterson; grandparents LE and Mary Patterson and Charles and Effie Cornelius.

Dorothy is survived by her daughter Patricia West and husband Terry; grandchildren Jason Dennard, Dustin Dennard and wife Stephanie, Brandon Dennard and wife Stacie, Taylor and Tanner Dennard; step-grandson Kyle Miller and wife Katherine; granddaughter Kendall Murry and husband Xerxes; daughter-in-law Kathleen Dennard; brother-in-law Bobby Boykin; 7 great grandchildren; 2 great great grandchildren; and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.

Donations may be made in Dorothy’s honor to the Mills County Museum or the Goldthwaite Memorial Cemetery or charity of your choice.

The family would like to thank all of the wonderful friends, caregivers, nurses and staff at Paloma Hospice, Prestige Estates, Heart to Heart Hospice and Avir Rehabilitation and Nursing Home that became a part of Dorothy’s final chapter in life.