Dorothy Marie Skyvara

Dorothy Marie Morgan Skyvara, “Miss Dottie” of Evergreen, Texas passed away May 12, 2018.
She was born September 28, 1921 in Los Angeles California, the only child of Marie Ziesman Morgan and Albert Morgan. Her father made a living working as a carpenter for Fox Moving Pictures. She loved to sing with her dad, until his death in 1932, and play “dress up” with her mom. She also loved to play “office” and later made a career of it. In 1942, while working for the LA office of the Denver-Los Angeles Trucking Co., she was part of a group of ladies who were the first allowed to wear slacks to work. In the interest of the war effort to conserve hosiery!
She met Jeff Skyvara in 1945 in San Fernando. He was in the VA hospital recovering from TB after surviving Pearl Harbor. The “TB veterans” were confined to the hospital, unable to bring their concerns to the public, until they wrote a group letter to actress Frances Langford. Her notoriety and involvement with many veterans concerns enabled them to resolve their medical cases and return to work and resume and/or begin their lives.
Dottie and Jeff married on August 11, 1945 in San Fernando, with her mother and Wayne and Janice Harris attending. The friendship with the Harris’s would last for all of their entire lives. Shortly after, they built their first house and ran a dry cleaning business. They sold both and moved to Houston, TX, his hometown, in 1949. Her mother came with them. He studied electronics and started a television sales and service business that they ran together. They joined St. Christophers Catholic Church and were very active in both the church and the school.
With their four children, Jeffry, Janet, Frank and Steve, many holidays and summer vacations were spent camping, all over Texas. This included a camping trip from Houston to Eldora, Iowa to visit her mother’s family in 1966. Another such trip that year brought the family to Double Lake in Coldspring. They followed signs to the “future” Lake Livingston.
They bought a lot in a new subdivision and watched the progress of the clearing of the Trinity River bottoms, the building of the dam and the new highways and bridges. A house was built in during that time and the move was made to Point Blank. With no Catholic Church in the Point Blank area, Dottie and Evelyn Lassman made inquiries into the New Waverly Parish. Within a few years, St Stephens Church was built in Point Blank.
A hobby of Tole Painting that Dottie had begun during the Houston years was put on hold for a renewed career in her 50’s. She worked in the bank in Coldspring and later, American Bank in Huntsville. She was Office Manager for the dentist Dr. Jody Crawford.
In 1974 she and Jeff bought a tract of woods in Evergreen, to “retire” to the farm. Within four years they moved to the farm permanently. Complete with cows, pigs, chickens and a horse. In 1983 Jeff died of cancer. She continued to work, and took her painting to a new level. She painted everything; saw blades, gourds, pitchers, wooden boxes; childrens’ rocking horses were a favorite. She would go to Canton every month and come back with items to refinish and paint images on.
In the late 1980’s, with no farm animals to care for, her son Steve and she began the Skyvara Christmas Tree Farm. An entity that is active today. She was very active in the Christmas Tree Growers Association for a number of years. She turned her painting into a Christmas theme and sold her artwork in a small shop on the farm, as well as Trade Days in Coldspring. Her work is in many homes across the state. Her artwork and life lessons are as irreplaceable as she is.
In 1994, she became the first Administrative Assistant for the Huntsville Rotary Club. It was a position she loved for ten years. She liked to say that she was the only 80 year old lady that had lunch every Wednesday with 100 men!

She is the last of her mother’s family’s oldest members. Preceeding her in passing, her husband Jeff, daughter in law, Roxanne Marks Skyvara. Surviving family include sons Jeffry, Frank and wife Lynn and Stephen and wife Darla, daughter Janet Gunn. Grandchildren: Frances, Kathleen and Mary Skyvara, Jennifer Ladenburg Bean and husband Tom, Frank Cody Skyvara and wife Kristen, Stephen Cole and wife Jessie Skyvara. Justin and wife Ashley Skyvara. Shae and Jimmy Swonke and Andrew Emmons. Great Grandchildren include Tyler and Brandon Bean, Noah and Michael Skyvara, Olivia and Owen Skyvara, Logan and Aaron Skyvara. And Brantley, Leighton and Jensen Swonke.
The very special staff at the Wellington Senior Center in Conroe have become like family; we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the care you have given “Miss Dottie” this last year. You saw her as we did: She was a tiny lady with a strong character; she epitomized the term “The Greatest Generation”.

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Any questions, call Janet Gunn 936-697-1069

Visitation will be held from 12:00 noon - 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at Pace Stancil Chapel, Cleveland, Texas. Services will follow starting at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at Pace Stancil Chapel, Cleveland, Texas. Interment will follow at Evergreen Cemetery, Evergreen, Texas.