Obituary for Elizabeth Jean Dollins
Elizabeth Jean "Betty" Dollins passed away peacefully on May 21, 2025, at Jackson County Memorial Hospital at the age of 96. She was born on March 21, 1929, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Paul G. and Irene L. (Brandt) Scholle.
When she was born, she was the second of four children. Her father farmed near Mustang, Oklahoma. It was the start of the dirty 30's, and he could not make enough to support his family. Luckily, he got a job on the Frisco Railroad as a track maintenance section hand in Mustang, Ok. From there, they moved all down the line in Southwest Oklahoma. They first landed in Snyder, Oklahoma, where Betty started school. After two years there, they moved to Cache for five years. While attending school in Cache, Joan Parker, Quanah Parker's granddaughter, sat behind her in class. She had good things to say about her. In the 8th grade they moved to Headrick, where her dad was the track foreman. They were only in Headrick for about 1 1/2 years before they moved to Eldorado and then to Altus in January 1945. Each time they moved, they would load up all they had and put in a boxcar, and the railroad would take it down the line. In Altus, they live in the old section house by the tracks on S. Navajoe St. Growing up, she always talked about how they made a dollar, either by picking cotton every year or picking up pecans on the halves and selling them on the street or picking berries. Even to this day, she knows where every pecan tree is in her neighborhood. They always had a big garden to save money, and her mom canned everything for future use. She always talked about hard times, having one cow for milk and a few chickens for eggs. In Cache, one kerosene lantern for heat in the living room and none at night when they went to bed. They used a lot of quilts in bed to keep warm. Her mother taught her how to cook, bake, sew, crochet, and quilt.
One thing of humor is, since she was born, she had always been called Betty, but when her mother enrolled her in first grade, that is when she learned for the first time, that her real name was Elizabeth, for the school records.
She graduated from Altus High School in 1947. Through mutual friends, she met the love of her life Homer Dollins, a farmer from Prairie Hill. They were married on October 30, 1948, in Vernon, Texas and the two spent the next 66 years together until his death in 2014.
As a teenager and young wife, she first worked at Woolworth Department Store on the south side of the square, first at the lunch counter and then in the music and record department. Betty made $20 every 6 days. Soon afterwards, her and Homer farmed for a few years at Prairie Hill, but the drought and bugs in the early 50's were not kind to them. They moved back to Altus in the mid 50's. By this time, she was the mother to three children, Donna, Roger, and Alan. She settled into being a homemaker just like her mom and loved cooking, canning, sewing, making shirts for the boys, and dresses for Donna. She attended school functions like PTA, girl scouts, cub scouts, and choir. After her kids were older, she got a job as sales clerk at McCory-OTASCO. There she worked for a few years and then went to work at the Altus Times-Democrat newspaper. Betty started in the copy room and ended up as manager of the classified ads section. She worked there for 19 years until her retirement.
After retirement, she and Homer bought a travel trailer, and they would go on trips with friends and camp out in places such as New Mexico and Colorado. They were members of the Good Sam Club. Later on, she was a member of the Silver Belles dance group. One thing she really enjoyed was visiting family in Oregon and then going on an Alaskan cruise.
Betty entered things in the Jackson County Fair and won many ribbons for cooked or baked goods and crochet items. She made the best pecan pie you have ever tasted. She crocheted doilies, table center pieces, family names to be framed for gifts, and crossed stitch patterns on shirts, pillowcases, and embroidery. The Oklahoma State Historical Society accepted one of her very large table center pieces for posterity.
Betty was a devout Catholic. Even when they went on trips to places like Laughlin, Nevada, Branson, Missouri, Dallas, Texas, Shreveport Louisiana, or wherever, after checking into the hotel room, the first thing she did was to get the phone book out and find the closest church for mass. One time in Shreveport, she went to mass and put casino chips in the offering basket. She did many church activities, first at St. Sophia Catholic Church on Liveoak Street and later on at the new Prince of Peace Catholic Church on Falcon Road. Betty was a member of the Altar Society and later the Catholic Daughters. She will be greatly missed by her church family.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Homer Dollins; parents, Paul and Irene Scholle; and three brothers, George, Donnie, and Paul "Sonny" Scholle.
She is survived by her daughter, Donna McCoy and husband, Ken, of Oklahoma City; two sons, Roger Dollins of Altus and Alan Dollins of Cherryvale, KS; four grandchildren, Blaire Ward and husband, John, Carly Dunsworth and husband, Clay, Henry McCoy and wife, Quynh, and Derek Dollins; six great grandchildren, Dameon Kennedy, Cecilia Ward, Isaac, Elizabeth, and Clair Dunsworth, and Lynia McCoy; and two great great grandchildren, Meleya and Maddox Kennedy.
A rosary service will be held on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Lowell-Tims Funeral Home Chapel with a visitation to follow until 8:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 AM Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at the Prince of Peace Catholic Church with Rev. Fr. Joseph David officiating. Burial will follow in the Altus City Cemetery under the care of the Lowell-Tims Funeral Home and Crematory.
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When she was born, she was the second of four children. Her father farmed near Mustang, Oklahoma. It was the start of the dirty 30's, and he could not make enough to support his family. Luckily, he got a job on the Frisco Railroad as a track maintenance section hand in Mustang, Ok. From there, they moved all down the line in Southwest Oklahoma. They first landed in Snyder, Oklahoma, where Betty started school. After two years there, they moved to Cache for five years. While attending school in Cache, Joan Parker, Quanah Parker's granddaughter, sat behind her in class. She had good things to say about her. In the 8th grade they moved to Headrick, where her dad was the track foreman. They were only in Headrick for about 1 1/2 years before they moved to Eldorado and then to Altus in January 1945. Each time they moved, they would load up all they had and put in a boxcar, and the railroad would take it down the line. In Altus, they live in the old section house by the tracks on S. Navajoe St. Growing up, she always talked about how they made a dollar, either by picking cotton every year or picking up pecans on the halves and selling them on the street or picking berries. Even to this day, she knows where every pecan tree is in her neighborhood. They always had a big garden to save money, and her mom canned everything for future use. She always talked about hard times, having one cow for milk and a few chickens for eggs. In Cache, one kerosene lantern for heat in the living room and none at night when they went to bed. They used a lot of quilts in bed to keep warm. Her mother taught her how to cook, bake, sew, crochet, and quilt.
One thing of humor is, since she was born, she had always been called Betty, but when her mother enrolled her in first grade, that is when she learned for the first time, that her real name was Elizabeth, for the school records.
She graduated from Altus High School in 1947. Through mutual friends, she met the love of her life Homer Dollins, a farmer from Prairie Hill. They were married on October 30, 1948, in Vernon, Texas and the two spent the next 66 years together until his death in 2014.
As a teenager and young wife, she first worked at Woolworth Department Store on the south side of the square, first at the lunch counter and then in the music and record department. Betty made $20 every 6 days. Soon afterwards, her and Homer farmed for a few years at Prairie Hill, but the drought and bugs in the early 50's were not kind to them. They moved back to Altus in the mid 50's. By this time, she was the mother to three children, Donna, Roger, and Alan. She settled into being a homemaker just like her mom and loved cooking, canning, sewing, making shirts for the boys, and dresses for Donna. She attended school functions like PTA, girl scouts, cub scouts, and choir. After her kids were older, she got a job as sales clerk at McCory-OTASCO. There she worked for a few years and then went to work at the Altus Times-Democrat newspaper. Betty started in the copy room and ended up as manager of the classified ads section. She worked there for 19 years until her retirement.
After retirement, she and Homer bought a travel trailer, and they would go on trips with friends and camp out in places such as New Mexico and Colorado. They were members of the Good Sam Club. Later on, she was a member of the Silver Belles dance group. One thing she really enjoyed was visiting family in Oregon and then going on an Alaskan cruise.
Betty entered things in the Jackson County Fair and won many ribbons for cooked or baked goods and crochet items. She made the best pecan pie you have ever tasted. She crocheted doilies, table center pieces, family names to be framed for gifts, and crossed stitch patterns on shirts, pillowcases, and embroidery. The Oklahoma State Historical Society accepted one of her very large table center pieces for posterity.
Betty was a devout Catholic. Even when they went on trips to places like Laughlin, Nevada, Branson, Missouri, Dallas, Texas, Shreveport Louisiana, or wherever, after checking into the hotel room, the first thing she did was to get the phone book out and find the closest church for mass. One time in Shreveport, she went to mass and put casino chips in the offering basket. She did many church activities, first at St. Sophia Catholic Church on Liveoak Street and later on at the new Prince of Peace Catholic Church on Falcon Road. Betty was a member of the Altar Society and later the Catholic Daughters. She will be greatly missed by her church family.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Homer Dollins; parents, Paul and Irene Scholle; and three brothers, George, Donnie, and Paul "Sonny" Scholle.
She is survived by her daughter, Donna McCoy and husband, Ken, of Oklahoma City; two sons, Roger Dollins of Altus and Alan Dollins of Cherryvale, KS; four grandchildren, Blaire Ward and husband, John, Carly Dunsworth and husband, Clay, Henry McCoy and wife, Quynh, and Derek Dollins; six great grandchildren, Dameon Kennedy, Cecilia Ward, Isaac, Elizabeth, and Clair Dunsworth, and Lynia McCoy; and two great great grandchildren, Meleya and Maddox Kennedy.
A rosary service will be held on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Lowell-Tims Funeral Home Chapel with a visitation to follow until 8:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 AM Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at the Prince of Peace Catholic Church with Rev. Fr. Joseph David officiating. Burial will follow in the Altus City Cemetery under the care of the Lowell-Tims Funeral Home and Crematory.
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Previous Events
Rosary
Tuesday
27
May
6:00 PM
Lowell-Tims Chapel
1100 East Tamarack Road
Altus, OK 73521
Visitation
Tuesday
27
May
6:30 PM
- 8:00 PM
Lowell-Tims Chapel
1100 East Tamarack Road
Altus, OK 73521
Funeral Mass
Wednesday
28
May
10:00 AM
Prince of Peace Catholic Church
1500 Falcon Rd.
Altus, OK 73521
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