DOROTHY MEDLIN
Dorothy Medlin, 95, of El Dorado, passed away after a brief illness on Feb. 26, at her home with her daughter, Nancy, at her side.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 1, at First Baptist Church. Reception and visitation will be held at the Christian Life Center following the service.
She was born Oct. 28, 1920, in El Dorado to May Kelley and Louis Andrew Wall. She lived here all her life, graduating from El Dorado High School in 1938 and from Baylor University in 1942. When Dottie was 93, her son, Drew, also a Baylor graduate, took her to Waco for a homecoming reunion. She was proud to climb to the top of the Baylor football stadium to cheer on her team.
At birth, she was enrolled in the cradle roll department of First Baptist Church and at the age of nine was baptized in the church. There she spent most of her life serving the church as a Sunday School teacher of young married adults, singing in both the adult choir and senior adult choir, directing the Children’s Choir, and playing handbells. She served in the Baptist Women organization within the church and at the state level and was a founding member of FBC’s prayer ministry.
It was always a great joy for Dottie to see many of the young people she taught as children and young adults now actively serving within the church.
Dottie was active in her community as well, serving as a Boy Scout den mother, president of Hugh Goodwin PTA and president of the South Arkansas Arts Center Auxiliary. She loved her time serving as chairman of the Red Cross safety program and working to teach adults to read using the Laubach method through the Union County Literacy Society. She was a member of the El Dorado Service League, the Pierian Club and served on the board of the South Arkansas Symphony.
On Jan. 17, 1947, Dottie married Dr. Julius K. Sheppard. After Dr. Sheppard’s death in 1963, Dottie married Shad Medlin in 1967.
Preceding her in death were her parents, her husbands and her granddaughter, Mary Carol Sheppard.
Survivors include her children, Dr. Julius K. Sheppard (Susan) of Sherman, Texas; Louis Andrew Sheppard (Suzy) of El Dorado; Tandy Medlin Jarvis (Dr. David) of Nashville, Tenn.; Dr. James Meek Sheppard (Cecile) of El Dorado; Frank Courtney Sheppard (Debra) of Little Rock; Marty Medlin Kennedy (David) of Nashville and Nancy Kelly Hall of El Dorado. Also surviving are her grandchildren, Dr. Kevin Young (Shannon); Brett Jarvis (Melissa); Brian Jarvis, Matthew Kennedy, James Kennedy, Julius K. Sheppard V (Nicole); James Meek Sheppard II (Stephanie); Whitney Clay Sheppard, Julie Hall Spencer (John); Dorothy Claire Sheppard, Grace Sheppard Walthall (Will); Anne Marlar, Carol Kaplan (Kevin) and Kelly Reifel (Ross). She is also survived by 21 great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be sent to First Baptist Church, 200 W. Main St., El Dorado, AR 71730.