Mrs. Dorothy Kinniman Dodson

Mrs. Dorothy “Dot” Kinniman Dodson, age 95, died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, January 23, 2021, at Princeton Care Center in Princeton, NJ. Forrest City was her home for the first 83 years of her life, and no matter where she went, it was always “home.” Mrs. Dodson was born May 29, 1925, in Forrest City. She was the daughter of Harry O. and Edyth B. Kinniman. She graduated from Forrest City High School where she won the Spanish medal and played saxophone in the band – always aiming to be first chair. When her hopes of attending college were dashed by scholarship committees who thought women did not need a college degree, she learned to type and took a job at the First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas. Her decade of service as a teller/bookkeeper there was always a source of great personal pride. She was a life-long member of First Baptist Church in Forrest City, where she met her beloved late husband, Newton R. Dodson. He handed her a hymnal, and their love story began. They married in 1954. And she ultimately “retired” from FNBEA to be a full time homemaker and support her husband in farming. She was predeceased by her husband, Newton R. Dodson, and her sisters Mildred O. Kinniman and Evelyn Kinniman Danehower She is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law – Debra L Dodson and her husband Greg A. Nease of Princeton, NJ, and Dottie Harness and her husband Parker Harness of Germantown, TN; three grandchildren and a granddaughter-in-law – Sydney Dodson-Nease, Elizabeth Harness, and Harry and Jasmine Harness; and multiple generations of nieces and nephews. When her children were young, she devoted her energy to homemaking, gardening, and chauffeuring them to activities. After they left home, she devoted herself to taking care of Newton who had suffered a heart attack at a young age. With her devoted care, they enjoyed nearly a quarter century of being empty nesters, gardening, traveling, and spoiling their grandchildren. After Newton passed away in 2000, she soldiered on, looking forward to holidays with grandkids and braving airports on her own. As her health began to decline, she found a silver lining – more time with her children and grandchildren. Her move to Memphis in 2008 allowed her to spend even more time with Dottie, Elizabeth, Harry, Parker, and his parents. As Dorothy’s health declined further, her move to Princeton gave her a unique opportunity to get to know Sydney better, and spend time with Debra and Greg. Her beautiful smile, blue eyes, and Southern accent charmed New Jerseyans – as did her ability to adapt to New Jersey, which she described as a “different planet.” A surprise visit from nephew Jerald Burns and his wife Ann was a wonderful taste of home she cherished. Funeral services will be conducted via Zoom; anyone wishing to attend via Zoom should contact the funeral home and provide name, email and cell phone number. Burial will be at Forrest Park Cemetery, in Forrest City, Arkansas. Visit the online registry at stevensfuneralhome.net.

Tributes

Mrs. Dorothy Kinniman Dodson

May 29, 1925 - January 23, 2021