Dorothy Stallings King

Dorothy M. Stallings King passed away in Waco Saturday, April 08, 2017. Services will be 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 11, at First Baptist Church of Waco. Visitation will be 6-7 p.m., Monday, April 10, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. Miss Stallings was born Nov. 2, 1925, in West, Texas, to Robert D. and Willie D. (Westmoreland) Stallings. Grandparents were C.R. and Mamie (Clampitt) Westmoreland of West and R.B. and Lou Ollie Stallings of Moody. The Westmoreland and Clampitt families were long-time residents of the area. The daughter of a teacher, Mrs. King loved her years in school at West, graduating as Valedictorian of her class in 1942. She then realized a lifelong goal of entering Baylor University, where she graduated in 1946. She immediately began teaching in West High School in the spring of 1946 and then began teaching in Waco Public Schools in September of 1946. Her first assignment was in Sanger Avenue Elementary School. The second year she was transferred to Bell’s Hill Elementary, where she taught for seven years. When Cedar Ridge Elementary opened in the fall of 1954, she went to teach in that school until she retired in 1986. Miss Stallings worked on various committees in various professional organizations as long as she taught. In 1951 she was initiated into The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International as a member of Zeta Chapter where she served as Recording Secretary and Chapter President. She began serving at the state level in 1971 as a committee chairman. In time she served as State Recording Secretary, Second Vice-President, First Vice-President, and then in 1987 became State President. She also served on various committees. In 1983 she attended the Golden Gift Leadership/Management Seminar held on the campus of Baylor University. On the international level she served as chairman of the Elections Committee in 1990; she also served as a member of the International Nominations Committee. Reared on the same block as the First Baptist Church in West, Miss Stallings was a lifelong Baptist. She made a profession of faith when she was 7 years old; her faith was very important to her. In 1954 she became a member of the First Baptist Church of Waco which was a very important part of her family. In 2008 Dorothy and Carl King renewed their friendship which had begun in 1941 at West High School and continued until 1948 when their lives went in different directions. From that time until 2010 they saw each other frequently, wrote notes to each other and talked daily. On June 10, 2010, they exchanged vows at First Baptist Church in Waco completing a journey that had begun so many years before. In November 2011, Carl was diagnosed with lymphoma of the central nervous system, a very aggressive type of cancer. He was passed away in January 2012, ending the happy relationship which had begun so many years before. She was survived by Betty Flynn of Galveston, Carol Cornelius of Galveston, Erin Harrison of San Antonio, and Reid Cornelius of Midland. Also surviving are Carl’s daughters, Cynthia Swain of Austin, Trudie Myers of Dayton, Maryland, Sammie Mooney of League City, and Terry Smith of Santa Fe, Texas; and their children and grandchildren. Special friends are Mrs. Ed Knipper, Mr. Charles Tolbert, Don and Norma Cannata, Paul Ayers, and Mary Dean. Also left to cherish special memories are many Delta Kappa Gamma friends throughout the state. We want to extend a special thanks to Katie Mayfield, her caregiver. Memorial donations may be made to White Rock Cemetery, Po Box 505, Elm Mott TX 76610 or the charity of your choice. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.