Dorothy Marie Birmingham

Dorothy Marie Bates Birmingham passed away May 10, 2021.  Dorothy was born August 18, 1936 to the late Pearl and William Bates in Port Arthur, Texas, where she grew up and attended Thomas Jefferson High School.  She graduated from Lamar University with a B.A. in Elementary Education after which she began teaching fifth and sixth grades in the Port Arthur School District.
Dorothy met her husband to be on a blind date.  Guy Birmingham was a young chemical engineer with Texaco in Port Arthur, and they were married on August 10, 1957.  Guy’s career with Texaco took him and his family to locations in Texas, Louisiana, and New York City, as well as overseas assignments in Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands and Wales.  Dorothy made a new home for herself and her family in each of these places.  
Dorothy was a devoted wife and mother.  She served as homeroom mother for her daughter and son during their elementary school years and instilled in them a lifelong love of reading.  During their years living abroad Dorothy and Guy began traveling around the world which they continued to enjoy together for many years after retiring.
Dorothy is survived by her niece and nephew, Paige and Paul Lamothe of Baton Rouge, La., and by her son-in-law Michael J. Padgett of Houston.  She is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 63 years, Guy (died 4/16/2021), her daughter Dana Padgett (died 3/7/2021), her son Britton Ray Birmingham (died 7/17/2015), her brother William Bates, Jr., her brother-in-law Gordon Holton and by her sister Laverne Bates Holton.
Dorothy’s ashes have been placed next to those of her husband, son and daughter in Glenwood Cemetery, Houston.  Friends are encouraged to post remembrances at www.bradshawcarter.com/tributes/Dorothy-Birmingham or to contribute to a charity of your choice in her name.