Dorothy Mae McKelvey's Obituary
Funeral Service for Mrs. Dorothy "Big Bird" McKelvey, 86, of Dadeville, Alabama, will be held on Thursday, August 8, 2024 at 2:00 pm at First Baptist Church Dadeville. Dr. Ben Hayes will officiate. Burial will follow in the Eagle Creek Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm at Langley Funeral Home.
Dorothy Mae Pritchard McKelvey passed away on Monday, August 5, 2024 peacefully at her home in Dadeville, Alabama surrounded by family. She was born on Sunday, March 27, 1938 in Eagle Creek, Alabama to Carrell Pritchard and Nell Harrelson Pritchard. Dorothy, affectionately known as "BigBird" by her many friends and family, was a lover of flowers and tending to her flower gardens outside her home. She also loved fishing, cooking her "baby biscuits," talking about what is going on in the world, going to Market in Atlanta, traveling, Alabama football, QVC and HSN, and dressing to the nines in a new outfit with beautiful jewelry. Known for her quick wit, infectious laugh, bubbly personality, and an eye for decorating, she has spent countless hours creating the flower arrangements for weddings or helping her friends and family decorate their homes. She loved helping people and creating beautiful things for them!
BigBird loved the many friends she made over the years, but she loved nothing more than her family. After raising five children and helping to raise thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, her family was the apple of her eye. She was mother, grandmother, and even friend to us all. She was a God-fearing woman who will leave a lasting impact on the people she met and the family she is leaving behind.
Dorothy is survived by daughter Sherry Bartlett, son Ricky Huff, daughter Duchi (James) Jones, son Reid (Christy) McKelvey, son Rush (Lisa) McKelvey; grandchildren Stephanie (Trent) Calhoun, Skye Bartlett, Chase (Haley) Huff, Matt (Ashley) Huff, Baxlee McKelvey, Alexx Bednarski, Cole (Brennen) McKelvey, John Landon (Hannah) Bednarski, Anna Caroline McKelvey, Savanah McKelvey, Tate McKelvey, Ireland McKelvey, Tanner McKelvey, Cheyenne Naquin, Colton Liggitt; great-grandchildren Lila Calhoun and Garrett Huff; brother Victor (Jeanette) Pritchard, sister Bonnie Kay Pritchard, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She is preceded in death by her husband Joe McKelvey, her parents Carrell and Nell Pritchard, and siblings Eugene Pritchard, Myrtis Jones Smith, Loyal Pritchard, and Lavinia French.
Langley Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Dorothy "Big Bird" McKelvey.
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