Dorothy Colleen Perry was born August 24, 1928, to Ora Paralee Stiles in rural Iduma, Texas. She spent much of her childhood there, attending school in Iduma and Florence. She died June 12, 2026, at the age of 97. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Florence, Texas.
Dorothy married Aubrey Norwood “Goat” Wales on June 25, 1948. To this union was born one daughter, Belinda, and three sons, Stan, Bill, and Darin.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her mother Ora Stiles, her husband of 63 years A.N. “Goat” Wales, one son, Stan Wales, and two sisters, Tempe Kallus and Celia Beard.
Surviving Dorothy is one daughter, Belinda Wales of Fort Worth, and two sons, Bill Wales of Florence, and Darin Wales (Lorene) of Lynchburg, Virginia. She is also survived by four grandchildren, Chris Hamilton (Belinda), Jing Lei, Zane, and Xin Wales (Darin), and one great grandchild, Cooper Hamilton (Chris).
Dorothy was a person who loved her pets and her family. That was the center of her world. Growing up, her house was something of a sanctuary for every stray animal that wandered into the family’s lives. If one of the kids brought home a cat, it stayed. If a stray showed up on the back porch looking hungry, Dorothy would feed it. Before long, there was an entire colony of outside cats and dogs roaming the property… and pretty much any other animal that showed up injured or not—doves, rabbits, and abandoned baby lambs. I think it probably drove A.N. crazy, but Dorothy never turned a single animal away. That was just who she was. She had a soft heart for animals, and she couldn't stand to see a creature go without. She was a voracious reader, loved Blue Bell Ice Cream, Texas Longhorn Football, and her true crime TV series.
Besides the full-time job of raising one girl and three boys, Dorothy worked numerous odd jobs over the years. Early on, she worked at Mom’s Café in Florence, which is where she met A.N. when he returned from WWII, and married a couple of years after. For a while, she served as a teacher's aide at Jonah Elementary School outside of Georgetown, and that was a job she seemed to genuinely enjoy. Her studious and thoughtful nature made it a natural fit. Later, she worked at the Florence Post Office, out of the house by five o'clock every morning, six days a week. Dorothy was a hard and diligent worker. And with all that going on, like any good parent, she and A.N. managed to make it to most of our school events and games.
Dorothy also loved to paint. She was taught by local Florence artist, Olene Stewart, and often painted bluebonnets and rural landscapes. She became somewhat accomplished and once she even painted a nude female, to the shock of the whole family. It's not a painting most would ever hang in their own home, but it was pretty good. That was Dorothy, every once in a while, she'd surprise you.
Dorothy loved a simple life on the farm, even with all its challenges: a drafty farmhouse, preventing frozen pipes in the winter, rattlesnakes, ticks, and everything else that came with it. But she taught her children to deal with things like that and to move on.
Her family takes comfort in knowing that Dorothy is at peace now, resting in God's care, reunited with those she loved who went before her. Ninety-seven years is a long life, and she filled it with love and hard work.
Graveside services were held at the Florence Cemetery in Florence, Texas, at 10am on June 23, 2026. Dorothy was often involved and worked with the Florence Public Library. In lieu of flowers, individuals may make a memorial contribution in Dorothy’s name to the Friends of the Eula Hunt Beck Florence Public Library.