Dorothy Evelyn May, 94, died on Aug. 16, 2023, in San Saba.
Visitation was held at Sneed-Carnley Funeral Chapel on Aug. 19.
Funeral services took place at First Baptist Church in Lometa on Aug. 20, with interment at Chadwick Cemetery.
Dorothy was born on May 7, 1929, to John and Virginia Hardy of Red Bluff Community. She was raised on the Hardy Ranch, where she continued to live after marriage and where she raised her children.
Her first seven years of education were in a two-room country schoolhouse. One room housed grades 1-4, the second room taught grades 5-8. In order to get a high school diploma, students had to transfer to Lometa.
When school buses entered the picture, the entire school of Chadwick was transferred to Lometa, ending the country school.
Dorothy was married to Allen May of San Saba and had three children, James, Carl and David. She was widowed at age 34 and then entered nursing school in San Saba when she was 40. She was one of two chosen by the nursing supervisor for employment at the hospital, where she worked for 14 years until the hospital closed.
Later, she worked for home health agencies for maintenance and post-hospital care.
Dorothy held blood pressure clinics in senior citizen centers for many years, serving San Saba, Copperas Cove, Lampasas, Goldthwaite and Lometa. She helped in Lometa even into her retirement years, serving at the senior center for 41 years. She also worked at many health fairs.
Dorothy obtained two outstanding service awards from the San Saba Hospital and was awarded the Woman of the Year in 1979 from the Lometa Lions Club and Employee of the Month at the Senior Citizens Center in 2012.
She was preceded in death by her husband Allen in 1964; her brothers Ethan Hardy, James Hardy and Foy Hardy; a grandson, Wayne May; and by granddaughters Elizabeth May and Jessica May.
She is survived by her sons James May and wife Mary Joy, Carl May and wife Deborah, and David May and wife Suzette; 13 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
