THOMASVILLE, Ala. – Services for John Douglas Dortch Sr. will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at O'Bryant Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. David Wilkinson and Dr. Doug Dortch Jr. officiating. Burial will be in Choctaw Corner Cemetery. Mr. Dortch, 78, of York, died Sunday, March 22, 2009, at the Hospice of West Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He was born November 3, 1930, in Thomasville to the late Kirksey Dortch and Eva Spinks Dortch. He was a graduate of Thomasville High School and the University of Alabama. He was a first Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict.Mr. Dortch owned and operated the Western Auto Associate Stores in York and Livingston for 30 years, where he was known for his integrity, diligence, and congenial spirit. He was a faithful member of the York Baptist Church, and served as a deacon. Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Betty Hall Dortch; his son, John Douglas Dortch Jr. and his wife Judy, of Tallahassee, Fla.; his daughter, Maria Dortch Hardy and her husband Glen, of Tuscaloosa; his grandchildren, Corrie Dortch Zimmerman and her husband Brent, of Jacksonville, Fla., John Douglas Dortch III, of Tallahassee, Fla., Charles Glen Hardy Jr., James Douglas Hardy, and Emily Faith Hardy, all of Tuscaloosa; and his brother, Kirksey Dortch, of Birmingham. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Eloise Dortch Holloway and Jean Dortch Bouler; and his brother Robert D. Dortch.Pallbearers will be Jimmy Black, John Dortch, Glen Hardy, James Hardy, Andrew Wilkerson, and Brent Zimmerman.Honorary pallbearers will be Billie Carney, Johnny Cook, Glenn Dortch, Norman Masters, and Robert Taylor.In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the York Baptist Church, 314 N. Broad St., York, Ala. 36925, or the Hospice of West Alabama, 3851 Loop Road, Tuscaloosa, Ala. 35404.Visitation will be Thursday, one hour prior to services at the funeral home.
Published in The Meridian Star on 3/25/2009