Nelda F. Dorough

Nelda Faye Early Dorough was born March 2, 1937 in Chillicothe, Texas, and departed this mortal life on January 3, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas, at the age of 78 years and ten months.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in Biggers Funeral Chapel. Interment will be at 1 p.m. in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

Nelda was the oldest daughter of Nathan Juble Early and Lola Dell Thurman Early. Her mother moved Nelda and her siblings to Bakersfield, California during World War II to be near their father, and then back to Chillicothe where she finished the 8th grade. The family moved to Borger, Texas, where she graduated from High School in 1955. She was married to Aaron Gregory Dorough on October 22, 1955, and their married life together was 60 years and 2 months. As the wife of a career Army officer, she lived in Fort Benning, Georgia; Munich, Germany; Canyon, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and Fairfax, Virginia. In 2006, Nelda and her husband moved to Fort Worth in retirement.

As an Army wife, and as a civilian, Nelda was very active. She was elected President of the Munich Officer’s Wives Club at 21 years of age and attended a US Army Europe conference as the delegate from Munich. She also organized and ran the Munich military nursery, and established the post thrift shop. In her spare time, Nelda was a Red Cross Volunteer at the military hospital, while raising small children. At Fort Bragg, Nelda organized and ran the post youth bowling league and taught young boys and girls how to bowl while enlarging her own family to five. Also at Fort Bragg, she was part of a first time volunteer effort for military wives to accompany officers informing families of servicemen killed in action during the Vietnam War. All of these things were accomplished while her husband was deployed overseas. At Fort Leonard Wood, Nelda was the Director of Volunteers for the Post Thrift Shop, and established and organized the first Post Army Community Service Center, an organization designed to assist young married soldiers and their families with guidance and financial help. Because of her effort she received a Letter of Commendation from the Secretary of the Army. After moving to Tuscaloosa where her husband pursued an advanced degree, she continued her activities with scouting, took a few college courses, and added a sixth child, again while her husband was on a second deployment.

She took up golf and bowling in Germany. She played active golf for about 30 years and competed in two World Golf Amateur Handicap Tournaments in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In bowling, she rose to become a local force in the sport. She partnered with several major Professional Bowling stars in Pro-Am tournaments and was invited to join the Professional Women’s Bowling Association in 1965. She declined due to family responsibilities. She was the Kansas State Singles Champion in 1972. From 1975 to 1980 she was in the top ten averages of about 25,000 women bowlers in the Greater Metropolitan Washington Bowling Association.

Nelda worked for several years as a secretary for the Institute for Defense Analyses, and for about 10 years worked as a legal secretary and paralegal. As a volunteer, she was secretary of the local swim club for about 10 years and published the community newspaper. She was a Brownie Scout Leader, Girl Scout Leader for several years, and a Cub Scout Den Mother. For two years she was the area director for the Girl Scout Cookie Drive. She was also President of the PTA for Westmore Elementary School for 2 years.

Nelda was baptized in the Amarillo Primitive Baptist Church in 1955 and is currently a member of the Denton Primitive Baptist Church.

Nelda was preceded in death by her parents; a daughter, Nelda Phaye Dorough Cook (husband Al); two sisters, Wanda Lee Dale Early Kleinebreil (husband Richard) of Saginaw, Michigan, and Elizabeth Ann Early May (husband Ray) of West Lafayette, Indiana; and one brother, Nathan Frank Early (wife Mary Jo) of Amarillo, Texas.

She is survived by her husband, Colonel Aaron Gregory Dorough US Army (Retired) of Fort Worth; a daughter, Terry Drucilla Dorough Fogleson (husband Lieutenant Colonel Patrick US Army (Retired)) of Pueblo West, Colorado; four sons, Warrant Officer Aaron Gregory Dorough II, US Army (retired) (wife Carla) of Gurley, Alabama; Robert Lee Dorough II of Fort Worth (wife, Diana); Jon Rhett Dorough of Fort Worth; and Jason Damian Dorough (wife Tara) of Haltom City, Texas; two sisters, Daisy Beatrice Early Lowe of Saginaw, Texas and Barbara Jeanette Early Teal (husband Steve) of Moreno Valley, California. She is also survived by one granddaughter, Heather Diane Dorough Morgan (husband Ryan) of Meridianville, Alabama; and eleven grandsons, William Thomas Cook of Fairfax, Virginia; Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Allen Cook US Army (wife Ashley) of Savannah, Georgia; Washington DC Police Officer Nicholas Alfred Cook (wife Michelle) of Manassas, Virginia; Peter Bryan Cook (wife Emily) of Virginia Beach, Virginia; Michael Aaron Fogleson of Pueblo West, Colorado; Aaron Gregory Dorough III of Gurley, Alabama; Matthew Robert Dorough (wife Ariana) of Fort Worth; Benjamin Lee Dorough of Fort Worth; Kevin Tyler Dorough of Berryville, Virginia; Joshua Aaron Dorough of Haltom City, Texas; and Timothy Isaac Dorough of Haltom City, Texas. Also two great grandsons, Aiden Christopher Cook of Savannah, Georgia; Daniel Ryan Morgan of Meridianville, Alabama: and two great granddaughters, Allie Carynne Cook of Savannah, Georgia; and Katherine Elizabeth Cook of Manassas, Virginia.