The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Dorothy Miller Wills was born in Many, La., Nov. 28, 1927, and passed away Jan. 16. She was the oldest of three, born to Wiley Oren and Ethel Miller. The family moved to Port Arthur when her father accepted a position with Gulf. Dorothy was valedictorian of her high school class and attended Port Arthur Business College. She met her husband, Bill, soon after and they began their life together in Austin, while he finished his degree at University of Texas.

They lived in Big Springs and San Angelo, but the two wanted to raise their children close to home. They moved to Houston and soon after settled in Bridge City. Family was very important to Dorothy and she wanted her children to experience the love and joy of having family near. Dorothy took a job as secretary at Bridge City High School, where Bill taught Science. Eventually, she moved to Dupont as a teletypist and head of the shipping department. Dorothy loved working with people and enjoyed talking with folks around the country as she coordinated the freight shipments. She worked there until her retirement.

She was a long-time member of First Baptist Church in Bridge City. She loved singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School girls and working on the bereavement committee. Dorothy's home was a central gathering point for many church functions and BC students as her children grew up. She was the party planner, hostess, cook and local psychologist helping teens with many issues. So many of her children's friends continued to visit Dorothy long after her children left. Many of them called her their second mom.

Dorothy was one of the kindest, most humble people God ever placed on this Earth. She had a true heart of compassion and everyone who met this beautiful soul fell in love with her instantly. Her legacy of love will live on in the hearts of everyone. Her family was blessed with a final statement from this beautiful angel. With the final breath she took, suddenly an enormous grin and wide-eyed look of utter amazement came upon a once sullen, still face. There is no doubt with us that she stepped into the presence of God Almighty and left us with that memory of eternal hope and peace.

Her husband of 45 years, Billy Frank Wills, her sister Wanda Miller Hilton, and her precious parents, Oren and Ethel Miller, preceded Dorothy in death.

She is survived by her brother, Winston O. Miller, of San Antonio; her two sons, Randall S. Will of Clearlake, William M. Wills of Nederland; her daughter, Mollie Wills Campbell of Cocoa Beach, FL; eight grandchildren, one great grand child, and many other extended family members that thought of her as their grandmother.

A viewing will be held to celebrate her life at First Baptist Church of Bridge City, on Monday, Jan. 21 from 5:00 -7:00 pm and funeral services, also at First Baptist, on Tuesday, Jan 22 at 10:00 am. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens under the direction of Levingston Funeral Home in Groves, TX.