Dorothy Blankenship Brown McManaman © Alva Review-Courier 06-2016 Submitted by: Jo Aguirre
|
Dorothy Jean Blankenship was born April 13, 1927, near Belle Plaine, Kansas. She was the last of Willie Maud Hammond and Edward Blankenship’s 13 children. She lost both parents by age ten and was raised by her brother and his wife, Earl and Pamelia Blankenship. She graduated as valedictorian from Belle Plaine Rural High School, class of 1945. Dorothy soon met and married Robert Brown on June 7, 1945.
Once Robert’s service was competed with the Merchant Marines, the couple returned to Beaver, Oklahoma, where Robert began his career in construction. They had three children, Reta, Adair and Dennis, before moving to Alva in 1953. Shortly thereafter the Robert R. Brown Lumber & Construction Company was established with Dorothy as co-owner and full working partner. Her intelligence, capable management and hard work helped the company prosper over the next 24 years. She was equally dedicated to her family – she was an excellent cook, maintained a succession of 12 beautifully decorated homes, and loved her flowers. Dorothy was a member of the First Methodist Church of Alva and P.E.O. She earned her private pilot’s license in 1970.
After Dorothy and Robert divorced in 1977, she managed a large apartment complex in Oklahoma City. In 1981, Dorothy married Edward McManaman; they resided primarily in Oklahoma City area until Ed’s death in 2004. Dorothy relocated to the Denver, Colorado, area to be near her son Adair and his family. She passed away on June 6, 2016, at the age of 89. Her ashes will be interred in Alva Cemetery at a later date.
Dorothy is survived by her three children: Reta Brown (Oklahoma City), Adair and Susan Brown (Denver, Colorado and Palm Desert, California), Dennis and Judy Brown (Fountain Hills, Arizona), her eight grandchildren: Roger and Janice Brown (Denver, Colorado), Romily (Cutter) and Mark Estell (Oklahoma City), Jeremy Brown (Mesa, Arizona), Erin (Cutter) and Scott MacDonald (Woodlands, Texas), Randy Brown (Denver, Colorado), Julie (Brown) and Mike Haslar (Denver, Colorado) Sara (Brown) Schnipkoweit (Davenport, Iowa), and Preston and Sara Brown (Mesa, Arizona). She also leaves behind 13 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
M Surnames - Alva Cemetery |Woods County Page| |Home|
This site may be freely linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent.
All rights reserved! Commercial use of material within this site is prohibited!
© 2000-2024 Oklahoma CemeteriesThe information on this site is provided free for the purpose of researching your genealogy. This material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, for your own research, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The information contained in this site may not be copied to any other site without written "snail-mail" permission. If you wish to have a copy of a donor's material, you must have their permission. All information found on these pages is under copyright of Oklahoma Cemeteries. This is to protect any and all information donated. The original submitter or source of the information will retain their copyright. Unless otherwise stated, any donated material is given to Oklahoma Cemeteries to make it available online. This material will always be available at no cost, it will always remain free to the researcher.