(1932 - 2023) It is with gratitude and love that we celebrate the life of Dorothy Ewell Roberts who died at her home on Thursday, December 21, 2023, surrounded by her family at age 91.
Dorothy Vene Ewell was born on January 8, 1932, in the early morning hours at her Aunt Hazel’s home on Elm Street in Dyer Tennessee. Her grandfather, C. O. Ewell was mayor of Dyer and also instrumental in the founding the Dyer Fruit Box Manufacturing Company in 1889, a family-run business for over 100 years.
Dot had a happy childhood in Dyer and spent several summers attending Camp Gulf Park on the Mississippi coast. She was a good student and took a special interest in Home Economics serving as the president of the Dyer Future Homemakers. She was also a talented basketball player and enjoyed being a valued member on her high school team.
In 1950, Dot moved to Oxford and attended Ole Miss where she was twice chosen "Campus Favorite” and elected president of Delta Gamma on sorority row. After graduation, she worked as a home economist for the National Stock and Meat Board in Chicago and later as a Therapeutic Dietitian in Tennessee. She loved children and enjoyed teaching second and third grade classes at Dyer Elementary school.
Dot spent many years as a volunteer in Jackson, Miss. including assisting with the Hinds County Association for Mental Health and as a Sunday School teacher at Covenant Presbyterian Church. After raising her five children, she returned to academics and earned her Master of Social Work from The University of Southern Mississippi and worked with the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services and as Supervisor of the Child Abuse Hotline.
Dot was a warm and generous person and had a particular love of family, children, sports, and animals. Children were drawn to her, and she had a special way with them. She was an animal lover and cherished her dogs as companions throughout her life. In her younger years she enjoyed playing golf and tennis and was a devoted Ole Miss fan. In her 90’s she enjoyed getting up early and traveling on the Natchez Trace Overlook Trail to watch the sunrise with her children. Dot was loved by all and will be remembered fondly for her beauty and kindness. We will forever cherish the memory of her sense of humor and strength of character that supported us throughout our lives.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Robert William Ewell and Bess Hazel Mitchell Ewell, brothers, George (Mildred) Ewell and Bill (Mary Evelyn) Ewell, sister, Mary Edith (Ben) Seward, nephew, Terry Ewell, and son-in-law, Shelby Singleton.
She is survived by and will be deeply missed by her children, Sandra (Lenny) Marcus, Roanoke, Va., Joe (Joanna) Roberts, Jackson, Miss., William Roberts, Jackson, Miss., Mary (Shelby) Singleton, Nashville, Tenn., and Tracy (Leigh Ann) Roberts, Nashville, Tenn.; grandchildren, John, Alexandra, Jason, Jennifer, Jordan, and Stuart; great-grandchildren, Fuller, Hastings, and Web. Also close to her heart were her nieces, Norma, Faye, Sena, Pat, Lallah, and nephew, Johnny.
A family service for Dot will be held at Oakwood Cemetery in Dyer, Tennessee. Memorial contributions in her honor may be made to any organizations that support children or animals in need.
