Dorothy Hughes

Dorothy Nell Phillips Hughes, 92, passed peacefully into the hands of the Lord on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. She was born in Uvalde, Texas on January 18, 1931 to Rex Haynes Phillips and Itha Letrice Bailey. She grew up in Uvalde with the earliest mention of her in print as Little Miss Uvalde at the age of 5.

Her parents were actively involved at South Getty Church of Christ in Uvalde where her father led singing frequently and preached for small towns surrounding Uvalde. Her mother died of cancer when Dorothy was 13 and her widowed father raised her. Graduating from Uvalde High School in 1948 Dorothy had a unique mix of soft and sweet with a rugged can-do spirit. She did fashion modeling in her teens and twenties mixed with hunting and fishing outings with her father. She also played competitive tennis in her younger high school and college years.

Dorothy attended Abilene Christian College briefly and transferred to Texas Christian University where she met her beloved Norman through his mother and through the church. Dorothy earned her BS in Education degree from TCU. After a garden wedding in Uvalde in 1951, Norman & Dorothy lived in Cleburne, then Irving, then moved to Houston in 1967.

While in Houston the family attended Memorial Church of Christ and helped to establish the Fleetwood Congregation in 1976. Dorothy served alongside Norman as an elder’s wife while he served as an elder of the Lord’s Church at Fleetwood for 31 years.

In her vocational life Dorothy served as the Spring Woods Middle School girls coach and subsequently campus athletic director over a 31-year period. After retiring as a full-time teacher, she was a substitute teacher and became a full time Maw-Maw focusing her attention on her three grandchildren.

Dorothy moved to Canyon Lake, Texas with her eldest son Geary and his wife Rhonda in 2018 where she was able to remain in the comfort of home while they dedicated care for her to her final days. Special thanks to Mary May and Hope Hospice for their special care for Dorothy in her later days.

Dorothy is survived by her two sons; Geary and his wife Rhonda, and Greg and his wife Sandra; three grandchildren, Michael, Morgan and his wife Amy, and Marshall. She is also survived by her great grandchildren Turner, Walker, and Campbell and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her Norman. She was always surrounded with love from within the church sharing the Lord’s love with family, neighbors, friends, and all her brothers and sisters in Christ.

At her request any remembrances should be made to Canyon Lake Church of Christ, 42301 FM 3159 Canyon Lake, Texas 78133, Southern Africa Bible College at 900 Echo Lane, Houston, Texas 77024 or Hope Hospice of the Hill Country, 29710 US Hwy 281, Bulverde, Texas 78163.

A graveside service for Dorothy will be held Saturday, February 18, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Fwy, Houston, Texas.