Dorothy Lee Vogel Coker, age 84, passed away on September 2, 2023. AKA Mom, Gran, Granny Dot, Auntie, Dorry.

Dorothy was one of 7 children born June 23, 1939 to Charles and Evelyn Vogel. Raised in South Bend, Indiana.

Dot Coker was raised in South Bend, IN. Having started her young family, fate and good fortune brought her to Texas in late 1959. It was here that she completed her family and carved out a wonderful life with 5 kids to keep her busy, Dot decided that she would pursue a career in Law Enforcement. She began this career as a dispatcher for the Lake Worth Police Department and completed the General Course for Law Enforcement Officers in February of 1971. Having obtained her certification from the Engineering Extension Service of Texas A&M University in Law Enforcement, she worked in the Benbrook PD, then became a Tarrant County Sheriff's Deputy. In 1980 Dot became a deputy constable for Tarrant County in Precinct 4.

Dot loved politics and was a self-described yellow dog democrat. She often served as an election official and was a delegate at the state democratic convention in 1996 and 2000. She was deeply patriotic and loved her country. Aside from her family, her greatest loves were the USA and her Texas Rangers.

Dot had a heart for people and loved helping others. Her home was often a refuge for others who needed a place to stay. There was always a place to sleep, food, and a pot of coffee. She made a lasting and life changing impact on more people than we will ever know. With little to give, she made giving look easy, and could always seem to make something out of what appeared to be nothing.

Dot's love of reading was evidenced by her collection of books. She devoured novels and had a staggering collection of poetry, novels and history books. She loved word games and had an unusually expansive vocabulary. She was simply one of the most educated people you could meet, and you would never guess that when first meeting her. Her "colorful" language and use of "unusual" idioms might even suggest the opposite, but her wisdom and wit were both deep and profound. She loved nature and loved the Fort Worth Nature Center. In her last two years she developed a deep fondness for a certain Red Oak tree, and Skippy the squirrel who was always there for her. She always had a garden and could grow anything. She was a fantastic cook, being able to make a gourmet meal from whatever she could find.

Above all, she loved her kids and her family. She had an expanded idea of what family was and was fiercely defensive of those she loved. She became a matriarch and a leader to so many, and she has been a role model to several generations of strong women. Without meaning to, and without trying, she, simply by the way she lived her life, made the lives of so many more meaningful and more complete.

Dot was preceded in death by her husband, William Wayne Coker; father, Charles; mother, Evelyn; sister, Kaye; brother, Charles; granddaughter, Kristy Johnson; great-grandson, Mason; and son-in-law, Randy Thomas.

She is survived by her 5 children: Zane Alan Coker and wife, Cindy, Tammy Thomas, Sharon Johnson, Cindy Duncan, David Coker and wife, Mary; grandchildren Amber Seastrunk and husband, John, Tamera Thomas, Misty Martinez, Matt Johnson and wife, Justina, Cody Duncan and wife, Krystal, Tyler Duncan, Kelby Duncan, Kyle Coker, and Kacie Woods and husband, CJ; brothers Richard and John; sisters, Amy, and Melissa; twenty-six great-grandkids, four great, great-grandkids; and more nieces, nephews, cousins, and "adopted family members" than can be counted.