Dorothy Abernathy

DOROTHY HUNTER ABERNATHY, WAS BORN TO A LONG TIME TEXAS FARMING/RANCHING FAMILY IN THE HEART OF TEXAS ON APRIL 2ND 1927. THE THIRD DAUGHTER OF RUFF COOK AND MAE HUNTER, DOROTHY WAS RAISED ON THE FARM AND AS ALL FARM KIDS SHE HAD HER CHORES ONE OF WHICH WAS THE CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF THE FAMILY FLOCK OF SHEEP, THIS CHORE LEFT HER WITH A LIFE LONG DISTASTE FOR ANY THING TO DO WITH WOOL OR ANY THING ELSE EVEN REMOTELY CONNECTED TO THE LITTLE BEASTS. DOROTHY AND HER SISTERS WERE KNOWN TO SWIM THE COLORADO RIVER (IT HAS BEEN SAID AT FLOOD STAGE) IN ORDER TO STEAL WATERMELONS FROM A NEIGHBORS FIELD (FOR WHICH THEIR FATHER PAID BUT DID NOT TELL THE GIRLS UNTIL THEY WERE GROWN).
DOROTHY DID SO WELL IN SCHOOL SHE EARNED A SCHOLARSHIP TO ATTEND COLLEGE AND WENT OFF TO GAIN A HIGHER EDUCATION. FOR THREE DILIGENT SEMESTERS SHE APPLIED HERSELF WITHOUT ANY THOUGHT OF ANY OTHER INTEREST CARRYING A 3.8 AVERAGE. THEN WHILE HOME FOR A VISIT SHE MET A DASHING YOUNG TALL DARK AND HANDSOME YOUNG MAN JUST HOME FROM THE WAR, AFTER AN EXCITING COURTSHIP (NO CHARGES WERE EVER FILED OR AT LEAST IF THEY WERE THEY WERE DROPPED), DOROTHY MARRIED VERNON EARL ABERNATHY IN 1946 A BIT OVER A YEAR LATER IN 1947 SHE GAVE BIRTH TO THEIR ONLY CHILD NEIL SHANNON ABERNATHY.
DOROTHY AND VERNON CHOSE TO MAKE THE U.S.AIR FORCE THEIR CAREER AND IN 1949 THEY WERE TRANSFERRED FROM FORT WORTH TO RAPID CITY SOUTH DAKOTA AND THE COUNTRY GIRL WHO HAD NEVER BEEN MORE THAN 150 MILES FROM HOME MOVED TO THE FIRST OF FIVE STATES SHE WAS TO LIVE IN, DRIVING THREW FOUR OF THE THIRTY TWO STATES SHE WAS TO VISIT. WHILE AT RAPID CITY DOROTHY WAS OFTEN THE LEFT ALONE AS VERNON WAS OFTEN SENT ON DEPLOYMENT TO KOREA, OR VIETNAM (YES IN 1949) OR A NUMBER OF OTHER PLACES INCLUDING ROSWELL NM. (NEVER DID FIND OUT WHAT THAT WAS ALL ABOUT). IN 1955 WHEN ONLY A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF PEOPLE EVER TRAVELED, DOROTHY AND HER 8 YEAR OLD GOT ON A PLANE TO WHAT WAS THEN FRENCH MOROCCO TO JOIN HER HUSBAND IN WHAT WAS TO BE THE FIRST OF THEIR FOUR OVER SEAS DUTY STATIONS, AND PASSED THREW THREE OF THE OF THE TWENTY ODD COUNTRIES SHE WAS TO VISIT IN HER LIFE.
AFTER TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF TRAVELING THE GLOBE SHE AND HER HUSBAND RETURNED TO TEXAS TO BUILD A NEW LIFE. DOROTHY DECIDED TO RETURN TO SCHOOL AND FINISH HER EDUCATION RECEIVING HER COLLEGE DEGREE IN EDUCATION FROM SUL ROSS STATE COLLEGE AND ULTIMATELY RETIRING FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS. SHE SPENT THE LAST FORTY FIVE YEARS OF HER LIFE IN ODESSA, TEXAS TRAVELING WITH FRIENDS AND TRYING TO READ EVERY BOOK IN PUBLICATION. SHE LOVED HER HOME AND HER ANIMALS SHE ENJOYED THE PEACE AND QUIET OF HER LOCATION AND WAS CONTENT WITH HER LIFE.
DOROTHY PASSED FROM THIS LIFE PEACEFULLY IN HER APARTMENT IN HOBBS, NEW MEXICO WITH NEW FRIENDS BY HER SIDE ON DECEMBER 29 2014. SHE IS SURVIVED BY HER SON NEIL ABERNATHY AND DAUGHTER IN LAW VIRGINIA, SISTER BETTY JOHNSON AND MANY MUCH LOVED NIECES AND NEPHEWS. SHE WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HER HUSBAND VERNON ABERNATHY, HER PARENTS RUFF AND MAE HUNTER TWO BROTHERS AND TWO SISTERS.

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