Dorothy Arlene Umberger Rikard, 89, of Olive Branch, MS went to be with the Lord on November 30, 2023. Mrs. Rikard was born on October 31, 1934 in Memphis, TN. She is the former owner of Dot’s House of Flowers. She also served as the president of the Memphis Professional Florist Association. During her time as president, she was in charge of all floral deliveries made to Graceland when Elvis passed away and had the privilege of meeting Priscilla and Lisa Marie. She was a former board member of the TN State Florist Association. While she was a florist, she was in the group that decorated the Woodruff-Fontaine House and two of the rooms she decorated were featured in the Southern Living magazine two different years. She was a former member of ZONTA International and a member of the Olive Twigs Philanthropic Group. In the 1950s she was a Cotton Carnival Maid in the old Memphis Cotton Carnival. After her time as a florist, she worked as a travel agent for 15 years. She loved leading groups on cruises and trips to Europe as she was a CLIA accredited cruise counselor. She loved to travel and enjoyed taking her grandkids to Disney World and was recognized by Disney as a Disney Expert. Mrs. Rikard was proud to be from Olive Branch and involved in our community. In 1957 she won the Miss First National Bank contest. She worked in the main office as a bookkeeper. She also loved to sing and appeared as a soprano soloist in their choral group. In May of 1973 she became a founding member of the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce along with: Marthola Allen, Carl Gargano, Ray Magee, C.W. Kelly, T.W. Jones, Jr., J.B. McCauley, Jere Holloman, and Charles Coleman. She was in numerous plays with the Olive Branch Community Theatre. In 2010 she was the grand marshal of the Olive Branch Christmas parade. She along with Mrs. Sarah Camp worked tirelessly to decorate the Wesson House in Olive Branch for Christmas every year. Mrs. Rikard was a believer in Jesus Christ and a lifetime member of First Baptist Church of Olive Branch where she sang in the choir for many years. She was preceded in death by her husband, Wessley William Rikard; parents, O.C. and Emma A. Umberger; and two brothers, Jimmy C. Umberger and Samuel H. Umberger. She is survived by her daughter, Kelly Hopper; grandchildren, Brandon W. Janes (Paige) and Lauren E. Janes (Oscar); great-grandson, Ryan M. Janes; and brother, Lonnie Carroll Umberger (Phyllis). The family will receive friends for a time of visitation at Brantley Funeral Home on Monday, December 4, 2023 from 5-7 pm. A funeral service will be held at First Baptist Church of Olive Branch on Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 1:00 pm. Burial will follow at Blocker Cemetery in Olive Branch. The Rikard family would like to extend their most heartfelt gratitude to the nurses and caretakers of Compassus Hospice, especially Carol, Mindy, Sheila, and Stacy for their compassion and care for Mrs. Rikard and the family.
