Dorothy Mae Wood "Dot" Hartless

Dorothy "Dot" Mae

Wood Hartless

Our mother passed away Monday evening, Sept. 13, 2010, peacefully in her sleep. She was born May 16, 1936, the youngest child of the late William Addison Wood and Flora Bell Henderson Wood. Our mother had the most gentle spirit and kindest heart. She always wanted everyone to know that while growing up her family lived a humble life and often struggled, she never lacked for anything because the love of her family surrounded her.

As a 1955 graduate of E.C. Glass High School, she started her career in the municipal bond department of Scott, Horner & Mason Stockbrokers. From there, she moved to First Colony Life Insurance Company, where she ran the personnel department for five years and then C.B. Fleet, where she was head of pharmaceutical purchasing and ultimately Administrator of Foreign Accounts. However, she found her true calling in 1977 when she began work at Spring Hill Cemetery. She started as a bookkeeper and as a part-time office assistant. In 1992, she was voted Secretary-Treasurer of the cemetery by the Board of Directors and retired in 2004. She always said one of her greatest privileges was to serve as Secretary-Treasurer of the cemetery. She spent many days together with her two daughters helping the families that needed her to the best of her ability. She modernized the records of the cemetery by transferring them from the storage vault to computer and also planted several gardens throughout the cemetery. She also had the Spring Hill Cemetery Visitors Center built to assist visitors in finding their loved ones or those on genealogical hunts to trace their family history. She always had a "project" she was working on, but she was never too busy to sit down and listen to people. Dot never met a stranger and after five minutes of talking to her, you had made a friend for life.

She was preceded in death by her sister, Geraldine Frances Wood, and four brothers, Thomas William Wood, Raymond Gray Wood, Leroy Odell Wood and William "Billy" Edward Wood. Also, she lost two special brothers-in-law, George Harris Woody and Elwood Lawrence Duff.

She doted on her four children even though we confess to sometimes driving her crazy. She is survived by Gregory Earl Crist, and wife, Paula Wells Crist, of Amherst, Karen Kay Marshall, of Madison Heights, Jerry Lee Hartless Jr., of Chambersburg, Pa., and Heather Raye Hartless, of Lynchburg. She was predeceased by her first husband, Ronald Earl Crist, and is survived by her ex-husband, Jerry Lee Hartless Sr. Additionally, she is survived by her two sisters, Margaret Wood Duff and Betty Jean Wood Woody, and three grandchildren, Phillip Randall Marshall, of Tampa, Fla., Keenan Reid Hartless, of Chambersburg, Pa., and Emily Nicole Moore, of Madison Heights. She was also blessed with two great-grandchildren, Jeremiah Owen Marshall and Samantha Grace Marshall. Lastly, we cannot forget to mention her "very special grandson" and true partner in crime, our Boston Terrier, Maxwell. You never knew if those two would be eating ham sandwiches or popsicles together the minute you left them alone!

Her other hobbies were shopping and more shopping with her sisters and travelling when her health allowed it. She always looked forward to her yearly trips to Myrtle Beach and was able to complete a cross country trip visiting those states and landmarks she always wanted to see before her health prevented her from travelling. She loved to watch the Washington Redskins on Sunday and Antiques Roadshow, hoping "we had something like that in the basement."

Since her childhood, she was a member of Fairview Christian Church and after her retirement became active in the Sunshine Bible Class, helping to decorate the church for weekly services and for holidays. Our mother was a deeply religious person and loved the Lord. There was never a time, good or bad, that she did not trust in the Lord and believe in the path that he had set out for her.

We would like to thank Dr. David Wodicka, Lynchburg General Hospital and the staff at the Summit for caring for our mother during these last difficult months. You would never find her without her secret stash of chocolate candy or her ready smile. We love you mom and we know that you are always with us in spirit as our guardian angel. As we have read together many times on the headstones of those who have passed before us on our walks through the cemetery, "Until we meet again, to part no more."

The family will be receiving visitors at the home of her sister, Betty Jean Woody, 204 Hilltop Drive, Madison Heights. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010, at Tharp Funeral Home, Lynchburg. A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17, 2010, in Spring Hill Cemetery, with the Rev. D. Jack Hamilton officiating.

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family, (434) 237-9424. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.tharp

funeralhome.com.