Dovie Laverne Thornton

TYLER — Services for Dovie Laverne (Davis) Thornton, 88, of Tyler, will be held on January 4, 2022, at 1:30 pm at Jackson’s Burks Walker Tippit Funeral Home with Dr. Jay Gross and Dr. Edwin Crank officiating.

Burial will follow at Cathedral of the Pines Cemetery in Tyler under the direction of Jackson’s Burks Walker Tippit Funeral Home.

Dovie passed away on December 20, 2021, in Tyler.

Dovie was born July 18, 1933, in Port Arthur, Texas to Jewel Holland (Lawrence) and Thurman Davis.

Dovie met her to-be husband Bobby C. Thornton at Jacksonville Baptist College. Over the course of 65 years, they lived in California, Virginia, North Dakota, Arizona, Spain, Turkey, and many locations in Texas for Bobby’s military assignments. Throughout their travels, Dovie kept her family close in her heart and visited as often as possible. Bobby and Dovie settled in Tyler, Texas after his retirement, and their son Jeff moved to Tyler from Arizona shortly after to be closer to them in their retirement years.

A children’s Sunday school teacher for many years, Dovie was known for her sweet and innocent spirit. Throughout their lives, Dovie and Bobby remained close to the friends they met while at Jacksonville College, most specifically Edwin and Sandra Crank. In the most recent years, Edwin has been instrumental in the care of Bobby during his last years, and more recently of Dovie as she grieved her late husband and saw her own health declining.

Dovie was preceded in death by husband, Bobby, son, Jeffrey Lynn Thornton, her parents, Willie Clinton (W.C.) and Jewel (Lawrence) Vaughan, brothers, Thurman Doyle (T.D.) (Anna Marie) Davis and Olen Arthur Vaughan.

Dovie is survived by her sister, Helen Marie (Vaughan) Keprta; sister-in-law, Linda (Hayes) Vaughan, several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Visitation is scheduled at 12:30 to 1:30 PM January 4, 2022, prior to the service at Jackson’s Burks Walker Tippit Funeral Home

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Association.

To view online, please go to www.burkswalkertippit.com.