Dorothy Del Barnes, second daughter of Willis Barnes and Esther Murphy Barnes died November 24, 2022 in The Villages, Florida where she had lived since June of 2016. Born May 4th, 1940 at Elgin Crossroads, she moved to Osceola, Arkansas at age 11 and married Malcolm Tidwell and had one child, a daughter, named Della Carol Tidwell who was the joy of her life. Dorothy moved to Memphis in 1965 and was a cake decorator for many years for various bakeries and then for Memphis City Schools for 13 years. She retired in 2005 and enjoyed gardening, traveling, and doing things with and for her daughter. Dorothy was a beautiful woman inside and out, a very hard worker, humble, and someone who didn’t want much from the world. She did get to live in several states in her lifetime including Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, California, and Michigan. Her biggest wish was to go to Hawaii, so she and her daughter went in 2002 and toured all of the islands staying in ocean-front rooms and doing a grand tour, even flying in a helicopter over an active volcano. Dorothy was preceded in death by her mother and father and one brother, Tim Barnes of Iuka, Mississippi. She is survived by her daughter, Carol Benner, and son-in-law, Mike Benner (who was more like a son to her), both of The Villages, FL, and by her sister, Nancy Jones of Lompoc, California as well as her Aunt Vernon Murphy of Rogersville, Alabama whom she loved very much as well as by a host of other Murphy relatives around Rogersville and Barnes relatives around the Athens, Alabama area. No doubt she is already in heaven enjoying reuniting with loved ones, but the world will never be the same without her beautiful smile and soul.
Visitation will be Saturday, December 3, 2022 from 10 – 11 a.m. at Rogersville Funeral Home. Funeral service will follow in the chapel. Burial will be in Belew Cemetery.