Dorothy Thomson Barringer

Dorothy Thomson Barringer, 97, slipped away on May 13, 2015, to join her God and her family for a wonderful reunion in Heaven. She was born on Dec. 22, 1917, to Charles and Leah Thomson in Kenova, W.Va. She was a very beautiful younger woman, who loved to play tennis and swim. Dorothy graduated from Marshall University in 1939, where she majored in physical education and was president of her sorority. Dorothy married the love of her life, Joe Barringer, on Sept. 7, 1940. They lived near St. Louis, where he was a flight instructor at Park Air College. He was killed in a plane crash in the Himalayan mountains on Jan. 7, 1945, while serving in the Army Air Force. Their only child, Jo Barringer, was born on April 26, 1945. Dorothy taught at Ft. Lauderdale High School for 25 years, and belonged to a teachers' group, Delta Kappa Gamma. She was a very independent lady. A lot of her time and energy were spent raising her daughter. She provided very generously for Jo, giving up things she could have had for herself. She enjoyed traveling in the Bahamas, Mexico, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Europe, China, Russia, and camping trips with Jo and Mark. Dorothy liked to keep up with current events and doing crossword puzzles. She worked hard on her beautiful lawn at her home in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where she grew lots of tropical plants. Dorothy adored her grandson Mark. She loved to watch as he came into Billings to finish the Montana Marathon. She enjoyed attending his wedding in 2014 and was delighted to hold his daughter on Mother's Day 2015. She faithfully attended church every Sunday. At various times in her life, she belonged to Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational churches. She served as a deacon for several years. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Dixon Barringer; parents Charles and Leah Thomson; sisters Irene Neu, Faye Frazier and Ruth Thomson; brother Kenneth Thomson; nephews Charles Pilcher and Gene Frazier; in-laws Dr. and Mrs. W.A. Barringer; brother-in-law, W.A. Barringer; and sisters-in-law Katherine Barringer and Elaine Barringer. Dorothy is survived by her daughter, Jo Barringer; her grandson, Mark Barringer, his wife Aninha and great-granddaughter Giovanna. She is also survived by niece Katherine Dean (Robert) and nephew John Barringer (Teresa). Dorothy was a lifelong animal lover and always had at least one pet that she was very attached to. At one time, she regularly fed feral cats. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to an animal rescue organization or a charity of your choice. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 23, at Woodmere Cemetery in Huntington, Fla. We will miss you, Mom, Gram, Great-Grandma. You will always be in our hearts.