Dorothy McClanahan

Dorothy Hortense Boon McClanahan died on Sunday, June 3, 2012. She was born March 25, 1920 in Arkadelphia, Arkansas to George Washington Boon, Jr. and Marie Lois Murry Boon. She attended Henderson State Teachers College and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. In 1943 she married Allen William "Dub" McClanahan. The two had met at Henderson where he was outstanding ROTC Cadet and Editor of the Henderson Oracle. They had two daughters, Kay and Kathy, and lived in Pine Bluff, where Dub practiced dentistry for 36 years. During that time Dorothy was very active in Lakeside United Methodist Church, where she and Dub helped start a Sunday school class for young married couples and sponsored the Youth Fellowship, she was a member of the Women's Society of Christian Service and all four family members sang in the choir. Among her many volunteer activities Dorothy was a Girl Scout leader and member of the Junior Auxiliary (now Junior League), Jefferson County Dental Auxiliary, American Red Cross and Bess Jenkins Garden Club, and a founding board member for Trinity Village.

She was involved with her daughters' activities, chaperoning dances for Junior Pollyanna, sock hops and proms at Pine Bluff High School. She was an avid bridge player, having learned to play as a child with her parents and brother. She loved to knit, sew, cook and play tennis. She was often heard to say, "If you can read, you can cook (or sew, or knit)"
While raising their daughters, she and Dub loved spending time on Lake Hamilton, where they taught friends to water ski and played board games. They traveled to guest ranches and other vacation destinations with Kay and Kathy, such as Colorado, Mexico and Hawaii. At the age of fifty they learned to snow ski in New Hampshire. They continued this love of travel with their granddaughter, Shannon, introducing her to horseback riding at age six and teaching her to snow ski in Aspen.

Dorothy and Dub had many friends, were avid Razorback fans and traveled with the U of A Alumni Association. Five couples from college days got together for 13 Christmases for a quail hunt, dinner and gift exchange. For over 40 years they celebrated with Dub's 1949 Baylor Dental School Class and, at their last Henderson reunion, she and Dub won the dance contest. Always competitive, Dorothy only stopped playing tennis in her 70s when she could no longer cover the net, even with knee braces, and she played bridge into her 90s.

In the mid 1980s Dorothy and Dub moved to Heber Springs, enjoying the first years of retirement in their home on the Red Apple Inn Golf Course. Again, they played bridge, tennis and golf. They were active in First United Methodist Church, and Dorothy served on the advertising council of the Red Apple Inn and became a member of the Medley Club. Dorothy frequently "helped out" at McClanahan Graphics, Inc., after Kathy moved her advertising agency to Heber Springs. Every year from 1999 to 2003, Dorothy went to Costa Rica to visit her daughter Kay, who was working there. Although in her 80s, Dorothy hiked through rain forests, held a sloth, visited volcanoes, learned to dance the salsa and rode a horse during those visits.

Dorothy and Dub moved to Denton, Texas, in 2003 when Kay returned to the United States to be near her daughter, Shannon and two grandsons. They spent much family time at Silent Knight Stables, Shannon's horse breeding and riding establishment. Dorothy enjoyed taking three generations to swim and fish back in Arkansas and also to visit Disneyworld and Washington, DC.
The loss of her daughter Kathy, due to a brain tumor in 2001, had been a difficult experience and made time with Shannon and her sons, Tristan and Keegan, even more special to Dorothy. Still very active at 88, Dorothy fell and was moved to Kay's home for Hospice care in October of 2008. Within three months she progressed from wheelchair to walker to cane and then refused the cane. It was no surprise when such determination got her "expelled" from Hospice.

In May of 2010, Dorothy happily returned to Arkansas. Kay and her husband, Jim Patterson had purchased a home on Lake Hamilton and Dorothy lived nearby at West Shores Retirement Community in Hot Springs. The day after Mother's Day 2012, Dorothy was again placed in Hospice care. Dorothy had a beautiful smile, a very positive nature and outgoing personality and more energy than most people half her age. She was a friend to many and a mentor to countless others-especially to friends of her daughters. Dorothy was always very close to her only brother, George Murry Boon, and his family. She had many names: to her parents and brother she was Beebe, to some friends she was Dot, to her daughters she was Mother until Shannon named her Hubbubba. Finally, Tristan and Keegan shortened Hubbubba to Bubba. By any name she was an angel with a smile, ready to help and hug and join in the fun. She had a quick wit and often said her middle name was not "Patience." She was the perfect example of unconditional love and generosity to both her daughters and to her granddaughter and great-grandsons.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband of sixty-three years and one day, Dr. Allen William McClanahan; by her daughter Kathy Lynn McClanahan; and by her brother, George Murry Boon.

She is survived by daughter and son-in-law, Kay Marie McClanahan and James Gillespie Patterson of Hot Springs; her granddaughter Shannon Marie Weaver Flanagan and two great-grandsons, Tristan Townes Flanagan and Keegan Lee Flanagan of Denton, TX; niece, Marjorie Marie Boon Bickerstaff of Columbus, GA; nephew, Marshall Murry Boon of Durham, NC; first cousin, Josephine Brown Stone of Raymondville, TX; and first cousins once removed; Christy Etheridge Garcia of Hot Springs Village, Wendy Etheridge and Ashley Etheridge of Nashville, TN.

The Reverend Dr. John Miles will preside over the graveside service at 10:30 am, Tuesday, June 12th at Rose Hill Cemetery at 12th and Main Streets in Arkadelphia. Those attending are asked to wear something red, Dorothy's favorite color, to help in the celebration of her life. Arrangements will be by Ruggles-Wilcox Funeral Home which was founded in 1905 by Dorothy's great Uncle C.B. Murry. The family asks that memorials be sent to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Ave., 7th fl., New York, NY 10001. After the service the family will be at 120 River Bend Road, Hot Springs, AR 71913.