Dorothy O. Reid

Mrs. Dorothy Rucker Reid peacefully departed this earthly life on  December 19, 2024, at the age of 96. She was a loving and faithful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt,sister-in-law, relative, friend, and entrepreneur. Everyone who knew her or had any encounter with her always fell in love with her sweet Spirit. Dorothy was a humble, soft spoken, kind hearted, hard working, lady with an amazing smile.

Dorothy was born May 14, 1928 in Elberton, Georgia. She was the oldest of three :  Marshall and Barbara. She lived and worked on a farm which was owned by her family. She said the work was very hard and rough. She shared " everyone worked together, knew what was expected of them, and got the job done. "They had struggles, but she said she felt good knowing she carried her load.."  She  maintained the nurturing from family, extended family, neighbors, teachers, and the church members contributed in making her childhood a good one."

Dorothy had so much admiration and respect in her maternal grandmother's work ethic, love and respect for everyone in the community. Her grandmother was affectionately called "Maw". She not only farmed with her husband, but also was a midwife. Her grandmother was the go to person for not only the family and extended family but the community. Our mom stated "everyone in her family always worked hard, worshipped together every Sunday, and made preparations for the future."

Our family referred to our mom as our quiet historian, who carried a wealth of information in her small frame. We enjoyed listening to her give so many detailed and accurarate accounts of her life growing up in Elberton, Ga, as well as family history. We were so grateful she had such a keen recall even in her golden years.

Dorothy shared that her family's emphasis on faith, education, and hard work were some of the motivating factors on the choices she made and the path she followed. She loved school and sports. She played basketball. She was educated in the Elbert co public school system. She graduated from Elberton Colored High School in 1946. Dorothy attended Paine College in Augusta, Georgia.

After attending Paine College, Dorothy moved to Charlotte. This is where she met and married the late Henderson O. Reid. They were married for 71 years. Mr. Reid was born and raised in the West Boulevard community. His paternal and maternal relatives were business and land owners, with deep roots in the West Boulevard community.

After their first child was born they moved to Brooklyn, New York for better employment opportunities. She enjoyed living in Brooklyn. Her activities included the following:  taking her children to Madison Square Gardens, Coney Island, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, where her mother and a host of relatives lived. One of her favorite activities was attending the Brooklyn Dodgers Baseball games with her best friend Chippy Caldwell, and visiting Harlem and Manhattan, NY.

Mrs. Reid and her husband moved back to Charlotte in 1962 to provide their children with a better quality of life, and to pursue entrepreneurship opportunities. Mrs. Reid and her husband intentionally choose West Boulevard to embark on business ownership. The emphasis was to show the community that if they could do it others could as well, employ from the community, and provide good products and services. Our father was the visionary and our mother was the backbone of the businesses, a supporting pillar holding down family and business. Her steadfast support was responsible for bringing his vision and dream to life They started over 4 business ventures on West Boulevard. Their final business is the Reid Park Plaza, small strip mall. Mrs. Reid was known to be the friendly cashier who always greeted everyone with a smile, soft , calm voice, and the best customer service.

Mrs. Reid and her family joined University Park Baptist Church (now the Park Church), sometimes in 1962. Some of her church affiliations included the following;  Missionary Group, Adult Sunday School, Wednesday Noon Day  Bible Study, and the Pace Setters Ministry. One of the highlights of her week was attending Sunday worship services. She  looked forward to fellowshiping with members  in her Sunday School class. She enjoyed dressing and donning unique hats. She was affectionately known as the "Hat Lady".

After dedicating over 45 years to employment, Mrs. Reid finally listened to her family and retired. After retirement she devoted her time to spending time with her family, grands,and great grands, gardening, baking pound cakes and the best ever sweet potato pies, day trips, bus tours, and light travels.

Mrs. Reid was proceeded in death by her husband, Henderson O. Reid, her parents, and her brother Marshall G. Rucker.
Mrs. Reid leaves to cherish precious memories, her son Clayton O. Reid (Carol), daughter Deborah D. Reid, and son Marcus S. Reid.Three grandchildren: Kareem, Armond and Carlette; Four great grandchildren; one sister Barbara W. Shivers of Midwest City , Ok, one sister-in law Bernice M. Dorsey of Staten Island, NY, one brother-in-law, Samuel W. Davis (Barbara); and a host of family and friends.

Mrs. Reid's best friend for close to 60 years is Mrs. Mary Anderson. Her special friends are Mrs. Geneva Ferguson and Mrs. Christine Riddick.
Our family enjoyed listening to our mom give accounts of her childhood and  family history . We were so grateful that  she could still share accurate, detailed accounts in her golden years, and how expressive she was. We referred to her as our quiet  historian, who carried a wealth of information in her small frame

Our family were so blessed to have a Great Mom. Her Legacy gives us and all who knew her a blueprint to live by. We considered her to be a special lady and a great example of a quiet warrior who was always in motion, in all seasons of her life and never complained. We will always and carry her in our hearts , and treasure the fond memories of her. We will continue to honor her remarkable footprints as a North Star for our lives. One of her encouraging quotes "you can do it."