John Wesley Dorsey's Obituary
DORSEY, JOHN WESLEY 93, 93, was born on July 17, 1920 in Houston and peacefully went to Heaven in the early-morning hours of January 7, 2014. He leaves behind the people that he loved so well: wife of 65 years, Gladys Bernice Downey Dorsey, daughter Katherine, daughter Carolyn Walters and husband Jay, and his precious grandchildren: Laura and Cody, and his wife Jennifer, and great-granddaughter, Allison. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. John was the youngest of three sons and had hilarious stories to tell about his childhood as such. He grew up across the street from Cherryhurst Park where he honed his many athletic skills. At San Jacinto High School, he was on varsity football, basketball, tennis, and track teams. During his senior year, he was co-captain of the football team, all-city and all-district football, and Most Popular Boy. He was offered football scholarships to the University of Texas, LSU, and Georgia Tech, but he decided that being an engineer was far more important. At the University of Texas, he was a member of the Silver Spurs and Kappa Sigma fraternity and served as Vice President his senior year. He graduated in 1938 with a BSME. During World War II, he was so proud to serve his country as a Captain in the Army Air Corps. He was stationed in Cairo, Egypt and worked on a secret mission which involved Air Force One. After the war, he returned to Houston and began his engineering career which included tenure with Tyson Smith and Haag Engineering Company. On December 2, 1948, he married Gladys Bernice Downey whom he had known in high school. He cherished and loved her all the days of his life. They started a family in 1950 when daughter Katherine was born and added a second daughter, Carolyn, in 1953. He moved to Dallas in 1964 as Vice President and Partner of Haag Engineering where he is still honored with the engineering library in their building named after him. He and his wife were faithful members of Lover’s Lane Methodist Church for over 50 years. John’s sparkling personality and positive outlook on life made him loved and cherished by all who knew him. The family wants to thank Odyssey Hospice and Pathways for their love and compassion over the last several years. Visitation will be from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Friday, January 10, 2014 at Restland Funeral Home. Services will be held Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 12:30 PM at Restland Wildwood Chapel. Please feel free to wear University of Texas attire if you desire. Donations can be made in his memory to Special Olympics: http://www.specialolympics.org
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