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Dottie Millis went home to be with the Lord on Friday, December 6, 2019 at 6:30 in the evening. She was with family and passed peacefully. As she often said, "I have an arrangement with God – anytime He's ready for me, I'm ready for Him." She had lived in Bartlesville for over 40 years.
Dorothy Mae “Dottie” McMahon was born on December 22, 1939 in Knoxville, TN to Chalmer Columbus (Jack) McMahon and Elsie Lee Koontz. She had one brother, Ronnie, and two sisters, Jean and Lois. Her father was a Teamster and her mother was a homemaker and seamstress – Dottie had a very humble early life. After graduating from high school, she attended the University of Tennessee for one trimester. Dottie then bought herself a one-way bus ticket and moved to Sacramento, CA where she worked as a secretary for the California Highway Patrol, then as a legal secretary for a local attorney. She loved to dance and often entered and won dance competitions – one of her favorites was the Jitterbug. In Sacramento, she met the love of her life, William Burton “Bill” Millis, at a United Methodist young adult fellowship group. They were married within six months, on May 29, 1963.
After Bill's separation from the US Air Force, the couple moved to St. Louis, MO where they had two sons, William Burton, Jr. and Lance Alston. In St. Louis, while Bill went to graduate school, Dottie worked for Monsanto. One of her claims to fame was that she was responsible for naming a number of Monsanto products, including the weed killer, Roundup. In 1970, the family moved to Bartlesville for Bill’s job with Phillips Petroleum Company, and in 1972 they moved to London, England. While there, the family hiked around England and traveled throughout Europe. Dottie took up the art of brass-rubbing and collected brass ‘lady bells.’ She and Bill also enjoyed collecting antique furniture. The family returned to Bartlesville in 1978.
Dottie worked off and on in the secretarial field and even started a small business making and selling greeting cards and brass rubbings, to make what she called “mad money.” She was an active member of First Presbyterian Church, serving as a Deacon, Lay Pastor, and Stephen Minister, and volunteering with the Children’s Ministry and Meals on Wheels. She and Bill also lead numerous youth ski trips and participated in and lead mission trips to Mexico and Central America. She regularly donated blood to the American Red Cross, and after the Bartlesville Flood of 1986 became a volunteer and employee for their Disaster Services Unit. She traveled often throughout the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico after natural disasters to help victims recover from floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes.
Dottie was an avid (and quite good) tennis player until she tore her Achilles tendon and retired. She was a passionate reader and hand-crafter. She created many beautiful cross-stitch and needlework projects over the years. After both her sons graduated from college, Dottie decided to return to school and earned a BA in Psychology from Oklahoma State University in 1991. Dottie and Bill were quite close with a number of couples they called "The Beach Group." Together they raised children, enjoyed social occasions, and regularly traveled to beaches and other vacation destinations.
Throughout their lives Dottie and Bill traveled extensively, visiting every continent, including taking their kids and grandkids on a 50th anniversary trip back to England.
Dottie was devoted to her husband of 55 years, and was a supportive mother and grandmother to her two sons and their families. She lived with an open heart and open mind and championed the less fortunate. Some words she lived by, which were hand-written and taped to her refrigerator: "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." In her own words, she lived a wonderful life.
She was pre-deceased by her husband, Bill Millis, brother, Ronnie McMahon (Atlanta, GA), sisters, Jean Hale (Knoxville, TN) and Lois Underwood (Kodak, TN).
She is survived by her two sons and their families, William Burton Millis, Jr. and daughter-in-law, Christie Dawn Willis (Stillwater, OK), and Lance Alston Millis and daughter-in-law Linda Michele Brooks (Stillwater, OK), and grandchildren (whom she loved dearly) Matthew Liam (Coppell, TX), Lauren Michele and Lindsay Alston (both of Stillwater, OK), and her sisters-in-law Mary Ellen Trawick Millis (Montgomery, AL), and Sue Millis Scarborough and brother-in-law Frank Scarborough (Kitty Hawk, NC).
Dottie’s family would like to especially thank the caring staff at Green Country Village for their support and kindness during the time she lived there.
Services will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, Monday December 16 at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that memorial gifts be made in Dottie's name to support the ongoing work at First Presbyterian Church, 505 SE Dewey, Bartlesville, OK 74003; or The Lighthouse Outreach Center in Bartlesville, 1411 West Hensley Blvd., Bartlesville, OK 74003.
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