Obituary of Frances Dorrell

Frances Dorrell (Frankie) born April 10, 1920 in Sumter, SC passed away April 7, 2013 in Albuquerque, NM. Our beloved Mother, Sister and Grandmother has gone to Heaven. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Dorrell Sr. in 1971; two children, Olivia Anne Holte in 2007 and Dennis Skip Dorrell in 2009; and one grandchild, Frances Valenzuela, her namesake, who passed in 2007. She also joins six siblings who preceded her in death: Arthur, Mary, Billy, Frederick, Marie, and Oliver. Frances is survived by four sisters, two brothers, two children (James Buddy Dorrell, Jr. and Terry Dorrell), 13 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. Frances exhibited a lifetime of Christian faith and was a longtime member of Riverside Baptist Church in Albuquerque. She shared her faith with many people in her life and was often seen bringing an entire car full of friends and grandchildren to Sunday School. She was committed to her faith and read the Bible many times over throughout her life. Frances was an extraordinary woman for her time. She helped raise her brothers and sisters while attending Montreat College in North Carolina where she studied education. She then assisted with the war effort when she became a welder in the shipyards in Charleston, SC and Mobile, Alabama during World War II. She later married at age 31 and had four children over the next 8 years. She spent the next 30+ years as a teacher and taught countless children the joy of reading, including her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her family will always remember her and celebrate her life. She had the unique ability to make each one of us feel like we were her favorite person in the world. She will always be remembered for giving us unconditional love. She was a very special person who will be greatly missed. Her grandchildren will remember her and will feel eternally grateful for all the wonderful things she did for us. Her life lessons and gentle words of advice will not be forgotten. She spent every spare minute she had with her grandchildren and will leave a legacy of memories and stories for us to share: We will remember her love of early mornings, coffee and solitaire; summer vacations to South Carolina, Arts in the Parks, the 'old' Albuquerque Museum, swimming, strawberry ice cream, Coca-Cola, running through the sprinklers, word search puzzles, rice krispies, basted eggs and the Onion Sandwich story. Services will be held Wednesday, April 10 at Riverside Baptist Church at 1601 Bridge Blvd. SW. Viewing at 10am, Service 10:30-11:30am, luncheon celebration to follow. Graveside Service at 1:30pm at Sunset Memorial Park located at 924 Menaul Blvd. NE. Arrangements entrusted to Riverside Funeral Home, 225 San Mateo NE, (505) 764-9663.