
ALBERT RAY DAWKINS
What do you remember about ALBERT? Share your stories and photos here, and invite others to come share their memories.
Albert Ray Dawkins went to heaven on August 31, 2019. He was born February 29th, 1940 and was from Whistler, Alabama where he grew up with his mom and two brothers. His cousin Avery Turner was his best friend. Even though Albert left Alabama a long time ago, he kept ties with family there and would never miss an Alabama football game on TV. Albert eventually made it to Texas where he would meet the love of his life Mary Joan Holmes. They married in 1967 and raised four children. They settled in Amarillo and Albert ran the Pharris' Dairy Queens in the seventies which had the first drive up window in Amarillo. The family was tragically struck by a drunk driver and Albert was injured severely. He never fully recovered from his injuries and endured a lot of pain, but he never lost his positive outlook. He loved to talk to people, and never met a stranger. He would always let you know what was on his mind, and never ran out of advice. In the mid 2000's Albert wanted to live a dream of being in the mountains. He and Jo have lived in Ruidoso, NM for the past 14 years. His favorite thing was to watch the hummingbirds at all of the feeders they had on their deck. He said he wanted to die in the mountains and he did. Albert's passing has meant losing a husband, father, protector and best friend. We loved him very much and will miss him! He is survived by wife: Mary Jo Dawkins, brother: Tommy Dawkins, children: Thomas, Cozie, Misti, Penie and grandchildren: Liz Cates along with Tommy and Nathan Dawkins and great grandchildren Jay Ray and Harper Ray.
