Harriet Frances (Oliver) Dotson

Harriet Frances Oliver Dotson, age 73, of Claremont, NC, passed away into the loving arms of Jesus on Friday, April 17, 2020 from procedural complications at Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory, NC. She was born May 25, 1946 in Savannah, GA, the daughter of the late Frances Lenzer and Harry D. Oliver II.

Harriet Graduated from Savannah High School in 1964 and then attended Armstrong State College, where she graduated with a BS in Elementary Education and a Minor in Art History in 1968. She later received her Masters of Education from Augusta College in 1978.

She retired from 38 years of teaching primarily from the Catawba and Iredell-Statesville County School Systems, spending most of her tenure at Oxford Elementary and Celeste-Henkel Elementary Schools. She influenced hundreds of children to pursue their goals and dreams and used her art background and creativity in the classroom to reach children of all ages. She won countless awards for her positive influence in education. Harriet had a fierce love for art history and enjoyed painting, writing poetry, designing jewelry, cooking, crafting, sending handwritten cards, and helping others.

She was an active volunteer and member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Claremont, NC where she started the church’s first Food Pantry. She was a member and secretary of the NCRSP (NC Retired School Personnel) and also a proud member of ADK, the International Honorary Organization for Women Educators. She will be sorely missed within the community.

Those left to cherish her memory are her loving husband of 51 years, William H. Dotson; her son William H Dotson II of Clayton, NC, wife Angela and daughters Mary Elizabeth and Lillian; her daughter Alanna Dotson of Charleston, SC; her brother Harry D Oliver III of Savannah, GA and wife Nancy, along with countless other cousins, aunts, and uncles.

A small graveside service will be held at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, GA on Friday, April 24, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. with Pastor Gary Haddock officiating. The graveside service will be live streamed and can be viewed from the Baker McCullough Funeral Home Facebook page. A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Claremont, NC at a later date.

Condolences may be sent to the Dotson family at www.drumfh-conover.com

Please go visit Everloved.com in the next few weeks to see pictures of her journey in life. More will be uploaded over time. We would love for you to leave your stories and any photo you have with her.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions are sent to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Food Pantry, PO Box 550, Claremont, NC 28610.

The Dotson family has entrusted funeral arrangements to Drum Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Conover, NC.