Dora Louise Roell

Dora Louise Magee Roell was born in Magee, Mississippi to Augustus Benton Magee and Hattie Virginia Donnell Ware Magee on October 7, 1917. Her father was the sheriff and her mother ran a boarding house. Along with her older brother, J.L.; 3 older sisters, Marie, Mary, Gussie; and her little brother, A.B., they resided in Magee till around 1934.

They moved to the big city of Jackson. In the house right across the street lived a handsome young man Dora’s age named Harry Herman Roell, who was a gentleman, a businessman, and a scholar. Their neighborly friendship blossomed into romance after they graduated from high school in 1935.

Harry graduated from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, and Dora finished Jackson Business College and was working as a secretary at Standard Oil Company. They married in the middle of World War II in 1942. Dora had their first child, and Harry thought the best way to honor his wife was to name their daughter after her mother’s name, which was Dora Louise. A few years later they welcomed their second child, Mary Margaret (Marty). Together Dora, Harry, Dora Louise, and Marty called Jackson home-- a home filled with tap dancing, dress-up, ballet, music, and art.

As time passed, Dora Louise and Marty grew up and had families and children of their own. The first grandchildren were Dora Louise’s children, Jay and Kathy, and then Marty’s son, Scott. The grandchildren affectionately named Dora and Harry (Doe Doe and Granddaddy), and they became as much theirs as they were Dora Louise’s and Marty’s--spending summers, semesters, and countless holidays in their home, by their side.

Dora was a talented pianist, a brilliant artist, a gifted seamstress, and an exceptional cook, who was as wise as she was beautiful. She was a charming Southern Belle, a passionate advocate for the Lord, a fierce protector of her family, and a devoted wife. Dora and Harry were married for 56 years when Harry passed away. She never remarried and often reminisced of her fondness and love for Harry, and how much they loved to dance.

Dora loved the Lord with all her heart. Her tremendous love for her family and her home gave her peace and solitude. She will be missed, but more than anything, her memory will be sweetly cherished by her family for generations to come. The stories and wisdom that her children, grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren have inherited will keep her alive in their hearts forever.

Dora was a member of Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Dames, the Pierian Federated Women’s Club, and the Mecca Luncheon Club. She was also a member of St. Richard’s, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, and a lady of the Holy Sepulchre. She passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 98, three weeks before her 99th birthday, surrounded by family and friends.

Memorials to honor her life can be made to: Navarro County Ambulatory Care Association at P.O. Box 518, Corsicana, TX, 75110 or Children’s Medical Center Foundation at 2777 Stemmons Fwy, Ste. 700, Dallas, Texas 75207.

Services will be a family burial on Tuesday, September 27, 2016, at 2:00 pm. A family and friends memorial service celebrating her life will follow at 3:00 pm both to be held at Lakewood Funeral Home, 6011 Clinton Blvd, Jackson, Mississippi 39209.

Visit lakewoodfuneralhomes.com for online guestbook.