Dorothy Robertson

On the morning of January 19th, the Lord called our sweet Grandmother home. She was patient, kind, calm, never raised her voice and was the definition of selfless. She cared for family members and friends in sickness and in health throughout her entire life. She and my Papa were always driving somewhere to bring someone supper. She didn’t curse or drink (except for some spiked punch at a bridal shower once on accident). She attended church every Sunday and Wednesday night, and was usually helping out in the kitchen on Wednesdays.

Born in Atlanta, she knew every road and backroad around town and she loved driving them. She always bragged about how she started driving at 14, and a stick-shift, nonetheless. I can’t think of a time she ever let Papa drive. She was always chauffeuring him around because she loved driving through town and also because nobody really wanted to ride shotgun with Papa in the driver’s seat.

She lost her father at a young age and her mother, Grace, was left a single mother caring for 2 young children until she remarried. She told us that she never went without anything as a child, and her mother worked hard to provide for her and her brother, Sonny, by “doing all the rich ladies’ hair in Atlanta.” As a young girl, she loved spending time with her Maw Maw and Paw Paw Kelley and had them wrapped around her finger. She said she knew she could go over there and get whatever she wanted. She and my Papa definitely kept that tradition alive when they had their own grandchildren to spoil.

Since she was a native Atlantan, she had stories about riding the trolley down Howell Mill Road and holding her nose when they passed the slaughterhouse, which is now White Provisions. She talked about shopping at Davison’s and Rich’s. She loved clothes and shopping so much that they once tried to give her an employee discount at Rich’s because she stopped in everyday on her way to the bank, they thought she worked there (she called it “taking inventory”).

She knew how to cook and kept us all well fed. Every morning she was cooking bacon, toast and what we always called “egg you punch a hole in.”She also made the best cheese and macaroni. I always looked forward to a meal made by Grandmother.

As dementia started taking over she would never complain and always had the sweetest disposition. It didn’t take much to make her happy and no matter how small the task, she always said “Thank ya darlin’. Thank ya for always being so good to me” in her southern drawl. A few of her favorite lines were, “I can’t complain. I don’t have any aches or pains. I never did drink or smoke, I just liked to eat!” And “The Lord sure has been good to us.” And one special for me “You’re not as big as a chigger!”

We are thankful that she is at peace and no longer suffering, that she has all of her memories back, she’s winning every Solitaire game and that she has been reunited with her Clayton, who she was married to for 69 years and her two sons Greg and Ronnie. We love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.