Having lived a long and blessed life, Dortha Tarrant died Saturday, January 04, 2025, in Dallas, Texas just shy of her 97th birthday.

Dortha Lorine Housley was born January 31, 1928, at home to William M. & Syntha P. Housley in the small community of Five Mile, Oklahoma. The fourth-born of five, Dortha was the first to greet the world in Oklahoma with her three older siblings having been born in Arkansas. Dortha grew up in a home often filled with music including sounds of her father playing his banjo or fiddle and sometimes the pump organ. He was also known for weaving tales into his playing, and Dortha inherited his wit and creative storytelling.

Once she was old enough to do so and when not in school, Dortha joined her father and siblings working in the fields, though she would fondly recall that her father would frequently catch her spending more time making up songs about the beauty in nature she saw all around her than time spent picking the latest crops. She would carry that love of God's creations into adulthood sharing the same with her family and using it as inspiration for various creative pursuits like painting & amateur photography.

In 1946, Dortha married Cleo Powell, the brother of her sister-in-law Etna Powell, who had married Dortha's older brother Robert Housley. From an early age, family played an integral role in Dortha's life, so it should be no surprise that she and Cleo started a large family as well, having five children of their own. While their marriage was not destined to endure, Dortha, being the industrious and independent woman that she was, ultimately settled in Dallas and in a career at Texas Instruments. It was while working at TI that she met Douglas Tarrant, and now both with grown children, the two decided to tie the knot in 1976.

Soon after, Doug and Dortha left TI and moved to the Tarrant family homestead in Eula, Texas where Doug began working for Schlumberger in Abilene. In the years that followed, the couple established a full life on the farm growing a beautiful vegetable garden each year, raising livestock like pigs and goats as well as farming the land for the local sale of related harvests like oats and corn. I guess you could say that the two were in "hog heaven," and after Doug's retirement, they even added bee hives to the mix.

Dortha's children remember her as a driven, self-reliant mother who always put her children's needs above her own. A believer who knew the true power of prayer, her faith was her life's foundation, and her life a witness for her faith. She lived by example and seemed to know that while people may forget what you say or do, they will not forget how you made them feel. While maintaining property in Callahan County, Dortha and Doug relocated in 2017 to North Texas so that they could be closer to their kids & grandkids.

Dortha Tarrant is survived by her five children Freida Bearden & her husband Jesse; Danny Powell & wife Debbie and Randy Powell & wife Connie all of Albuquerque, New Mexico as well as Patrica Dossett of Midlothian, Texas and Belinda McGuffin & husband Don of Waxahachie, Texas. She has 15 grandchildren, more than 30 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great grandchildren. Dortha was preceded in death by her husband, W. Douglas Tarrant; her parents, William M. Housley & Syntha P. Housley as well as her brothers, Robert & Burton Housley and sisters, Florine Crawley & Lida Harper.

A viewing will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, January 11, 2025, followed by a service at 1:00 p.m. under the direction of Bailey-Howard Funeral Home of Clyde. All who knew her are welcome to attend and celebrate Dortha's life. Burial will follow in the Eula Cemetery.

Finally, the family would like to thank the many caregivers, nurses and aides for their dedication and effort to provide comfort and quality care to Dortha over the past couple of years. Many of you were like family!