Dorothy Ann Cox Aldrich passed away on Monday December 21, 2015 at a local nursing facility after a lengthy illness. Born in an apartment above her parents' grocery store in Mexia, Texas, on September 14, 1927, she was the only child of P. R. and Mildred Pitts Cox of Temple and Harker Heights. A 1944 graduate of Temple High School, she spent her high school years working alongside her parents at their cafeteria in downtown Temple, helping to feed troop trains as they stopped at the Santa Fe Depot. Also during this time, Dorothy Ann, an accomplished classical pianist, had the opportunity of performing for Governor Coke R. Stephenson at the Driskill Hotel in Austin. While attending Texas State College for Women, she met Elbert Aldrich, and they married on June 30, 1947, in Temple at First Baptist Church. After their marriage, she lived in Denton during the week and rode the train home every Friday afternoon until she graduated in 1948. Dorothy Ann immediately went to work for Scott and White Memorial Hospital as a medical secretary and had the opportunity of working for three presidents of Scott and White, including Dr. Paul Bassel, Dr. Ford Wolf, and Dr. Valter Brindley, Jr., during the era of Scott and White's fund-raising efforts for the construction of their new facility on S. 31st Street. She also taught typing and shorthand in night school at Temple Junior College. In the early 1960s the opportunity arose for Dorothy Ann to change careers and work once again with her parents as they transformed their hog farm in West Bell County into a residential development and community that became the city of Harker Heights. In 1966 she and Elbert opened their real estate office in downtown Temple, and she worked there until she retired in 2004. A descendant of several southern lineages, Dorothy Ann was a member of the Betty Martin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Ben Milam Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She had a fierce pride for her country and her beloved Texas. An avid historian and reader, she consumed four publications, daily, keeping her abreast of current events. She was the first secretary of the newly organized Parent-Teacher Organization at Bonham Junior High School and the president of the Parent-Teacher Organization at Temple High School. She served Bell County as an election judge for 39 years. She never failed to vote in any election, as she thought voting was the most important privilege a United States citizen could have. She bequeathed her commitment to voting to her grandchildren by registering each of them to vote on his or her 18th birthday. Dorothy Ann served as a board member for the Bell County Museum for six years. In 2003 she was awarded Altrusan of the Year, and in 2014 she was honored for her service to Altrusa International, Inc., District Nine with an Emeritus Membership. Survivors include her two daughters and their husbands, Ann and Robert Barkemeyer of Falls County and Amy and Lloyd Thomas of Temple, as well as her grandchildren: Daniel Aldrich Dunn and wife, Alicia Winegar Dunn, of Temple; Lauren Thomas Maggard and husband, Scott Reagan Maggard, of Dallas; Kathryn Dunn Kummerfeld and husband, David Andrew Kummerfeld M.D. , of Tyler; Margaret Thomas Solomon and husband, Jerry Prince Solomon, of Waco; Morgan Barkemeyer Self and husband, Mark Edward Self, of San Antonio; and Blanton Scott Barkemeyer and wife, Melanie Diaz Barkemeyer, of Bullard. Also surviving are eight great-grandchildren: Aaron Aldrich Maggard, John Reagan Maggard, Lilly Kathryn Kummerfeld, Paige Elizabeth Kummerfeld, Thomas Rex Solomon, Garrison Lee Barkemeyer, Nolan Edward Self, and Gatlin Reese Barkemeyer. Services will be at First Baptist Church of Temple at 1:30 pm on Wednesday December 23, 2015 with a reception following for friends and family. A private burial will precede the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church building fund or to the Bell County Museum. The family would like to extend a special thank you of gratitude and appreciation to the nurses and caregivers of the Temple Meridian Health Center. Scanio-Harper Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Obituary for Dorothy Ann from https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/temple-tx/dorothy-aldrich-9278836.

Submitted by contributor : #51080079 on June 10, 2022.