Dolores Jean Smith Brooks' Obituary
Dolores Jean Smith left us on June 10, 2025, and our lives are diminished as a result of it. A godly Christ follower, she leaves behind a legacy of grit, loyalty, and a love for life.
Dee was born on July 4, 1940, to Vyla and Leo Smith in Kansas. Growing up with that birthday, Dee thought all the parades and fireworks were for her! She was born with congenital cataracts and by the time she was 12, after multiple eye surgeries, she was left with a prosthetic eye. The family moved to Austin, Texas, so Dee could attend a special school where she learned to read both braille and regular print. Dee gave her heart to the Lord early in life and grew up attending Terrytown Methodist Church in Austin. After graduating from high school, she attended Texas Tech University and was one of the first legally blind students to graduate. She was a member of Alpha Phi sorority. Her sorority sisters would read Dee’s textbooks aloud. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education from Tech, and continued her education at the University of Texas where she earned a Master’s degree in Special Education. She then began teaching deaf and blind students throughout Texas.
Dee settled in Midland and, while teaching for MISD, she was set up on a blind date with Frank Brooks. Frank would later joke that it was a blind date in more ways than one! They were married in 1969 and four years later, bore twins Melanie and James. Soon after, the family moved to Dallas, TX, then onto Tulsa, OK. They were active members of South Tulsa Baptist Church where Dee continuously served in many ways.
After 18 wonderful years in Oklahoma, Dee and Frank moved back to Dallas and enjoyed many decades of being with friends and family. They joined Park Cities Baptist Church and were members of Floyd’s Faithful Sunday School class. Her courage, determination, and sweet spirit are a testimony that life’s difficulties don’t have to stand in the way of a successful, meaningful, and godly life.
In the tapestry of Dee’s life, she was preceded in death by her parents, Vyla and Leo Smith, and by her husband of 52 years, Frank Brooks. Dee leaves behind a legacy of faith and connection. She is survived by her son and daughter in law, James and Carole Brooks; her daughter and son in law, Melanie and Bob Thayer; her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Judy and Robert Brooks; her niece and husband, Maggie and David Drobny; her niece and husband, Rebekah and Larkin Simpson; and five grandchildren, Brooke Thayer, Carson Thayer, Hunter Brooks, Charlotte Brooks, and Greyson Brooks.
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