Dorothy Virginia Lenamon

Dorothy Virginia Lenamon November 5, 1921 - March 16, 2013 Dorothy Virginia Lenamon of Waco passed away Saturday, March 16, 2013 at her home. A Celebration of Life Service will be 3:00 p.m., Saturday, March 23, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, March 23, prior to the service. Dorothy was born on November 5, 1921, in Mt. Crawford, Virginia, the fifth child of nine to Herman and Vernie ne Whitmore Bell. Dorothy's mother died shortly after giving birth to her eighth and ninth child. When Dorothy was five her father was stricken by a major illness forcing the children to be separated. After a short stay in an orphanage, Dorothy went to live with Dr. & Mrs. E.G. Brumback in Luray, Virginia. Dorothy's dream of being reunited with her siblings came true after her elder brother Warren, at age 18, returned to Virginia from California to accompany 16 year old Dorothy to San Francisco, where Warren and her eldest brother, Jim, had settled. Warren and Dorothy had only enough money to pay their bus fare to Roanoke, Virginia, and were forced to hitchhike most of the way to California. As a teenager Dorothy lived with Allen and Marie Locke in Vallejo, helping care for the Locke's two young children and attending the high school where Mr. Locke was principal. She met and married Bill Rosa of San Francisco, having two children, Billy and Bernie. However, Bill wasn't ready to settle down and soon Dorothy found herself abandoned with the two little boys. But she made the best of it and with the help of friends and neighbors looking after the boys, she found a job at United Airways ferrying flight crews and servicemen around the airport and into San Francisco. While working at United, Dorothy met W.B. Lenamon, a member of the Army Air Corps from Groesbeck, Texas. While WB was on leave he and Dorothy eloped to Reno to be married. After the war they stayed in the Bay area, where they worked and raised the boys, by then numbering three with the addition of Larry in 1944. They were still in California by the time Ronnie made four in 1946. In the summer of '47 Dorothy and WB moved to Texas in a beat up station wagon rolling on threadbare tires with their 4 little boys, staying in Groesbeck for a while before settling in Waco. In those days before air conditioning, Dorothy thought they must have taken a wrong turn and moved somewhere far south of Texas. Again, she made the best of it and soon felt at home. However, by the time Susan arrived in 1948, Dorothy and WB had suffered a terrible loss with the death of eldest son, Billy. WB started a carpentry and home building business, while Dorothy stayed home to take care of the children, now numbering five with the addition of Jerry in 1950. As the children grew older, Dorothy decided to start nursing school at Hillcrest Hospital, becoming an LVN and embarking on a nursing career at Hillcrest, retiring after WB's death in 1992. She was preceded in death by her parents; her loving husband, W.B.; and eight siblings. She is survived by four sons and one daughter, Bernard Lenamon and wife, Anna; Larry Lenamon and wife, M'Liss, Ronnie Lenamon and wife, Cheryl, Susan Neville and Jerry Lenamon and wife, Loy; grandchildren, Chris, Tim and Anthony Lenamon, Terry Lenamon and wife, Gloria, Nick Lenamon and wife, Denise, Larry Lenamon II and wife, Julie, Amy Pharr and husband, Brad, A'Lissa Zamarripa and husband, Martin, Courtney Bell, Jillian Lenamon, Ron Lenamon and wife, Stephanie, Brady Lenamon and wife, Christie, Jayne Rios and husband, John, Parrish DeWall and wife, Cassie, Christi Neville and Caroline Neville; 20 great grandchildren. She is also survived by three sisters-in-law, Starline Nash, Frances Lenamon and Geneva Bell. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WilkirsonHatchBailey.com or send a direct message to P.O. Box 5009, Waco, 76708.