Dorothy Muriel Walters—”Mama Dot”
September 8, 1924—April 17th, 2009
“Who Can Find a Virtuous Woman? Her Price Was Far Above Rubies.”
Proverbs 31:10
Dorothy Muriel Walters, beloved wife of 64 years to George Walters, who predeceased her two years ago, went home to be with God and with Daddy George on Friday, April 17th. Her legacy to the world includes her children, Connie, Ron, and Lynne - 8 grandchildren: Cheri, Cliff, CJ, Melissa, Laura, Elena, Megan and Caitlin - 5 great-grandchildren: Sam, Nick, Emma, Wyatt, and Frankie - in-laws: Mary, Jason, Terri, Ryan, and Brian - her sister Joyce, brother Floyd (Sonny), sisters-in-law Linda and Carolyn - as well as forever-friends, Wendel and Wynell King, Linda Clark, and of course, her church family. She loved us all.
Her faith was the cornerstone on which she built a beautiful life. Even with progressed Alzheimer’s, she could sing every word to every hymn and recite the scriptures that she learned long ago. She lived a completely faith-based life, always put “feet to her prayers”, and was a true Southern lady throughout her life. Mom never complained - she lived with a spirit of gratitude - she counted her blessings to the very end and recently said: ”Don’t worry about me. The Lord is so good to me - I’ve had a wonderful life and have no regrets”.
She was the consummate wife, mother, grandmother, friend and homemaker. Known to the world as “Mama Dot”, a consistent thread throughout her life was her love for children - everyone’s children. She was a magical, magnetic force for them and provided opportunities for them to learn to cook and sew and express themselves in arts and crafts. She laughed with great delight at their antics, but always looked for a little “teaching moment” to give them good life skills. She had an amazing ability to make each child feel as though they were her favorite and they flocked to her for her love and approval. She was a kindergarten teacher, taught 4th graders in Sunday School for 40 years, and Vacation Bible School every summer.
She loved our dad. She loved her family, her friends and her church. She loved music and singing in the choir. She loved to laugh, loved flowers and the color pink. She loved beautiful things and beautiful places. She loved doing things for others. Mom was a helper and could always be found where she was needed, giving and doing what needed to be done. She always had a kind word for everyone she encountered. If you needed encouragement, Mom was the place to go for it. If you had a failure, she assured you of better days and a good outcome. She was never critical, never negative, never unkind, and always judgment free.
In a world filled with career women, our mom had a career too. It was us. All her energy, skills, gifts and talents were focused on her family. A child of the depression, she knew how to make the most of every dollar. Every day brought home cooked meals - and she was the best cook ever - clean clothes neatly folded in the drawers, a new dress being sewn for a daughter or a granddaughter at the sewing machine, and a tidy house. We lived in a world filled with simple abundance. She worked tirelessly - did a perfect job at everything she did - and we were rich...in all the things that mattered.
Dad taught us about strength - Mom taught us about love. She was the heart of our home. She refused to see anything less than the best in us and had a great capacity for love, which she gave away to everyone in her path. She always put others before herself and did not call it self-sacrifice - it wasn’t just what she did - it was who she was. There was a glow about Mom - that glow was goodness - and through her last days, she just continued to shine. She had grace and dignity and lived a life filled with love, and faith, and prayer and honor. Everyone loved Mama Dot, and all she wanted from us was for us to do our best, be kind and love each other well.
Mom is in heaven now with Dad. She is at peace and lives in joy. She has her memory back—she can once again call each of us by name and recall the stories of her life and ours. Her influence, grace, and love now live in us. We are her legacy, we have wonderful memories, and we will miss her every single day.
Who can find a virtuous woman? She lived at our house and her children rise up and call her blessed.
A Graveside Service will be at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, April 23, 2009 at Coweeta Baptist Church Cemetery.
Macon Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

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