Dorothy Renegar "Dottie" Hutton

1934 - 2024

Dorothy "Dottie" Renegar Hutton, Nana, of Metairie Louisiana passed away peacefully on January 2, 2024 (on her father's birthday). She felt very blessed to have her family with her during those last several days. She was definitely an extraordinary woman who loved Hershey Kisses, ice cold Pinwheels, line dancing, iced tea with extra ice and a plate of lemon, she always had Kleenex & her purse close by, enjoyed an ice cold Coke from time to time and she loved her family with every ounce of her heart. She was and always will be our Matriarch. She was born on March 16, 1934 to Mary Virginia and Everett Renegar in Ripley, Tennessee, (one of the first Ripley Believe It Or Not's). She was an only child for seven years and part of a Greyhound Bus Station family. They were stationed in Ripley, Clarksdale, Memphis, Blytheville, Greenville and Jackson; and on several occasions lived above a funeral home that her grandparents ran. Due to moving around during her childhood, she was always changing schools and having to make new friends, which was tough on this shy young girl. She was an excellent student and did learn that being a majorette was a joy in her school life, along with playing the clarinet. The family wasn't able to take vacations due to the bus station being a 7-day a week job – but she made up for that later in life. Dottie learned from a young age how to be a "mothering" big Sister. Starting at age 7, she basically took care of her two younger brothers since they were born. They went everywhere with her by sitting in the big basket on the front of her bike. Her sister came along when Dottie was 15, so once again she was responsible for another sibling. This definitely helped her realize she wanted children of her own at some point. Her childhood was not a normal one, but she became a very well-rounded person and loved life and all it had to offer. At the Bus Station in Jackson, Mississippi, they had pinball machines which captivated her high school friends – especially the boys. During high school, she worked for the Clarion-Ledger, which allowed her to purchase her first car. She enjoyed going to Biloxi with friends to have fun at the beaches. An acquaintance of hers asked if she would double-date with her and her boyfriend for New Year's Eve, since their friend had a car. The two guys were stationed at Keifer Air Force Base in Biloxi and the girls were living in Jackson. They decided to meet this guy on December 30 to make sure the two hit it off before spending New Year's with a blind date. Well, she met her soul mate, Dave, on this blind date December 30, 1953. He showed up in a beautiful blue sweater to match his beautiful blue eyes and she was hooked. They spent their 1st New Year's Eve together the next night, dining and dancing; she even spilled champagne on him and it didn't bother him at all. Seven months later they were married in a small ceremony. The preacher lost track of time mowing his grass and was quite late for their wedding. Dave always showed how much he adored her, lovingly calling her "My Dottie" and they continually showed their love. They never had to question their love for each other. They were lucky to share a long beautiful life together. Then, unfortunately, 3½ years ago, he passed on June 13, 2020. They would have been married 66 years on July 23, 2020. The love they shared taught all who knew them how precious love can be when you find your true love. Once married, they moved to New Orleans due to the signalman job for the Illinois Central Railroad that Dave had. Dottie started working for an attorney within the City. Dave then decided to go back to school for an engineering profession at LSU and Dottie worked in the Engineering Department at LSU during his three years getting his degree. In July of 1957, they welcomed their first daughter. Dottie enjoyed all of her time with Dani, so that Dave could finish his last semester of school. He was offered an Electrical Engineering job at Shell Oil in Norco and she became a stay-at-home Mom with her daughter. And what a Mom she was: Pontchartrain Beach visits, bike rides, pony rides, friends, story-time, Brownies, vacations to the Smokies, hide 'n seek and pictures galore. They still helped raise Dottie's sister who would visit via the Greyhound bus every other weekend. Dottie taught her to swim, cook, have her first phone and first set of golf clubs, feel safe while riding across the NOLA tall bridges and even helped plan her wedding in New Orleans. She was still helping out her brothers by becoming what they called their Guardian Angel to their wives when they each moved to New Orleans. Five years later, we were all blessed with Dawn and then two years later blessed with our brother Dave. She never stopped being an awesome Mom. Puppies, kitties, fish, birds, hamsters and guinea pigs were all part of the family at times. She was involved with her kids in Girl Scouts, Indian Guides, Boy Scouts, Dancing Lessons, Recitals (even made the costumes), Football Games, Board Games, Arts, Crafts, Bike Rides and was the School's Room Mother for each of us. She taught us to swim, cook and even how to sew. We always went on vacations for the month of July and ended up visiting most of the 50 states. Vacation memories in our camper were priceless: places we visited were amazing, campfires, Ranger Programs, history, breathtaking views, wonderful swimming pools, horse-back riding, ice skating, crafts, memorable family time, s'mores and plenty of wild animals that were awesome. We still tell the story of when Dawn's leg was hanging out of the camper overnight though and the next morning we learned that a bear had visited our campsite. We traveled all over the country thanks to the AAA Trip Ticks!!! This was the basis for bringing our family so close and loving each other so much. Family vacations were one of Mom & Dad's favorite times (3 stand out): Disney with their three children and their families; Alaska with Dani and Robert (their Grandson); and New England with all of her Siblings and Spouses. Like mentioned earlier, Mom definitely made up for not traveling as a young girl! Dottie loved to read, especially the Readers' Digest Condensed Books that came monthly; along with biographies, history & political books, Danielle Steel Novels and travel books. The culture of New Orleans was her passion. She loved the music, especially Pete Fountain. She felt so blessed when she actually met him – what a memory for her. She became a Friends of the Cabildo Tour Guide, which allowed her family to fall in love with the City by her teachings. Both Mom & Dad became the first class of Volunteers for the "new" Aquarium of the America's here in New Orleans. She was fascinated to learn about all the animals and became the Tuesday Afternoon Shift Captain for 25 years. She also loved the Audubon Zoo. She took her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren there. For years, during the Saint's season, she would have the family over during games and would fix phenomenal meals: NOLA Red Beans & Rice, Beef Stroganoff, Stuffed Cabbage, Seasoned Green Beans, Fried Pork Chops & the best Meat Loaf (to name a few). We "always" had dinner on the table at 5:15 growing up, just as Dad got home from work, so we could all talk about our day. Dad would walk in the door, go straight to the kitchen where Mom was finishing up, love tap her and give her a kiss…every time! Dad and Mom traveled all over the World as their children got older. It's easier to list the "only" places they didn't go. They both loved seeing the World, the different cultures, architecture, people and the beautiful scenery. They visited all the famous places around the Globe. Dottie wanted to be a Kindergarten Teacher once her children were in school. She was made for that profession – enlightening the lives of young children was her gift. Dave started Kindergarten at her school the same year that she began teaching there. Mom would take Dave to lunch after they both finished school on Wednesdays to spend some special time together. They would go to Krystal and sit at the lunch counter where they could watch the delicious little burgers being made on the grill. After teaching, she worked at General Electric for about 8 years. This happened to be across Clearview from where Dani worked so they were able to have lunch together several times a week. Dottie made birthdays very special by making them unique: a superstition party on the 13th for a 13 year old Dawn; inviting all of Dave's friends over for an 8 year old party and allowing them to dig the biggest hole in the backyard; renting the entire swimming club for a 10 year old party on the 10th for Dani….just to name a few. We had a beautiful Thanksgiving tradition. Mom and Dad were both great cooks! The original family members would go over to our childhood home and help them make the Thanksgiving meal. After the whole family enjoyed all of the holiday food from their delicious recipes, the entire family would go to the new Disney movie that was released at the movie theater for Thanksgiving time. And the fun thing about the movie was that the adults would enjoy the Disney movie as much as the kids would. Those are still such good memories to think back on to this day. Thanks Mom and Dad! At Christmas, the 3 of us helped Mom and Dad out again, cooking our family favorites when this celebration was moved from Jackson, Mississippi, to their home in Metairie. Christmas was always a big family celebration where all the Hutton's and Renegar's looked forward to getting together. Everyone loved Mom's helpful lists – she noted what time each dish needed to be put in the oven to be ready on time. We still use her helpful technique at family celebrations for cooking today. To make sure that everyone felt at home, she would also list all the fun games and activities that were available to play inside and outside at her house on Christmas Day. As we got older, just spending time with Mom, whether it was for a meal, vacationing, visiting or just talking on the phone was priceless. This was a daily activity for some, so the loss of our Mom leaves a huge hole in our heart. She is so going to be missed by everyone, but especially her three children. She is Nana to 6 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren. Her favorite sayings were Bless Your Heart and Oh My Lands. I don't think I ever heard a curse word come out of her mouth. She was loving, caring, nurturing, thoughtful, humble, adventurous, generous, affectionate, beautiful, creative, unique – just totally awesome. She loved family and friends; especially her life-long best friend Mrs. Tommy. They met when Dani was just entering Brownies and they were the Leaders. They each became mothers of 3 kids and enjoyed taking all of us to Lynn Park to swim and movie nights at Shell Oil in Norco in their Volkswagens. Their friendship grew to dinners together with their husbands, monthly super club and then vacations together. Even when Mrs. Tommy moved a few years ago, their friendship blossomed into long telephone conversations and occasionally visiting each other and having lunch. It even seemed that the phone would ring just when one of them needed the other. We truly love Mrs. Tommy too! We are all better people to have been a part of Dottie's life and to witness her undying love. Dottie is survived by her daughter Dani Winterhalter, her daughter Dawn Patorno and husband Steve, her son David R. Hutton and wife Michelle, grandchildren Robert Vela and wife Dawn, Aimee Hebert and husband Brent, Steven Patorno, Kimberly Patorno and husband Josh, Katherine Adams and husband Dylan and David M. Hutton. Her great grandchildren Taylor Vela and wife Sara, Tori Vela, Ashley Vela, Austin Vela, Rylee Hebert and Jaxen Hebert. Her great-great grandchildren Hayden Vela, Jocelyn Vela and Timothy Vela. She is also survived by her three siblings Pat Renegar and wife Mary, Don Renegar and wife Linda and Kay Shaw; along with plenty of nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, David Leon Hutton, her mother Virginia Leird Renegar, her father Everett Renegar and her son-in-law Mike Winterhalter. Services were private.