Dorothy Marsh Harper
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Dorothy Marsh Harper passed away on January 25, 2020 at the age of 93. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama to Adelbert Hall Marsh and Ina Power Marsh Oliver. Dorothy (Dot) met the love of her life, Robert P. Harper, Jr (Bob) on a blind date in Jacksonville, Florida where he was stationed in the Navy. It was a true love match; they were married 69 blissful years until Bob's death in 2018.
Dot and Bob resided in the Buffalo, NY area for 39 years where they raised their three children: Robert P. Harper III, Deborah A. Harper Hoffmann and Rebecca L. Harper Vickers. The children attended Clarence schools. They attended St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Clarence, NY. They were members of the Buffalo Yacht Club. Dot worked at the Clarence Junior High School in the Library in the 1970s, and Bob worked at Calspan until his retirement.
Bob and Dot escaped the brutal Buffalo winters when Bob retired. Speaking about retirement, they were interviewed and quoted for a Buffalo (AP) newspaper article about the record snowfall in December 1985: "We will always keep some part of our life here in Buffalo. At least the warmer half of the year. We'll compromise and split half and half." Which they did for years, after buying a lot in 1992, on the water on North Padre Island in Corpus Christi, Texas. The decision to pick Corpus Christi was easy: Bob had been stationed there when he earned his wings; they could tie their sailboat behind the house; it was halfway between their daughters in Houston and son in Brownsville; and it didn't snow in Corpus Christi!
Dot and her husband were members of All Saints' Episcopal Church, in Corpus Christi, where she was active on the Altar Guild. Dot also enjoyed Book Club and playing bridge. They were members of the Corpus Christi Yacht Club until Bob's death.
Dot was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and son. She is survived by her brother, Hall Marsh and his wife Joyce, of Birmingham, AL; daughter Deborah A. Harper Hoffmann, recent widow, of Cypress, TX; daughter Rebecca L. Harper Vickers and her husband Robert, of Cypress, TX. Grandchildren include Corinne Harper Spellane and husband Michael, of Brownsville, TX; Daubney Harper Boland and husband Justin, of Las Cruces, NM; Leslie Harper Konesheck and husband Heath, of Conroe, TX; Joshua Vickers, of Cypress, TX and Virginia Vickers, of Cypress, TX. Dot is also survived by 8 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 pm, Saturday, February 29, at All Saints' Episcopal Church, 3026 S. Staples, Corpus Christi, TX 78404. A reception will be held afterward at the church. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to All Saints' Episcopal Church. Interment will be at 2 pm, Monday, March 2, at Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery, where she will join her beloved husband Bob.