Dorothy Marie Thomas Hood Shatley

Dorothy Marie Thomas Hood Shatley passed away peacefully on March 14, 2026, in Lenoir, North Carolina, at the age of 87. Born on November 5, 1938, in Tennessee, she grew up in Newport, where she learned the values of family and community that guided her throughout her life. Though her formal education ended after the third grade, Dorothy possessed a deep wisdom earned through experience and a quiet strength that touched everyone around her.

Her world revolved around her family. Dorothy created a warm and welcoming home filled with laughter and lasting memories. She took great pride in her children’s accomplishments and found her greatest joy in their happiness. Her love for her family was steadfast and unconditional, forming the heart of her legacy of faith, resilience, and devotion.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Octavia, and her father, Edward Thomas, her son James Albert Hood, and her siblings Reba, Raymond, and George. Dorothy is survived by her children Bruce Thomas, William Ray Hood, John Marty Hood, Baxter Allen Hood, Sherri Wright, and Debra Lynn Jordan, her sisters Kathreen and Georgia Mae, twelve grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

Her presence will be deeply missed, but the kindness and warmth she shared will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.