Dorothy May Russell was born June 14, 1913, the first child of Robert A. and Iva May Wright Russell, in Gove County, Kansas. She passed away on June 11, 2012, just 3 days short of her 99th birthday. She so wanted to reach 100. She made the comment at her 90th birthday celebration that we should have waited to have the party when she turned 100.

Her childhood was spent helping care for her 6 younger siblings. She often told of taking wagon trips with her dad to Healy to get supplies and of loading the wagon full of cow chips to be used for fuel. One time when very young she rode in a horse drawn wagon to Nebraska with her parents to visit her dad's relatives.

She attended the country school and graduated from the eighth grade. Often she walked to school, occasionally riding a horse. She was always proud of the fact that she completed the 8th grade and wished she could have gone to high school.

On Jun 24, 1940 she married George H. Burris in Dighton, Kansas. They made their home on the Burris homestead until around 1945 when they bought land in Wallace County. They moved a house from Grinnell to Wallace County which was quite an undertaking. They lived in Wallace County until 1954 when they moved back to the homestead in Gove County. They remained there for 4 years and then once again moved back to Wallace County where they lived until George's health forced them to move to Oakley. In the summer of 1973 they had the opportunity to travel to Illinois to work with daughter, Joyce and her husband, Lowell Picha on the STP&P Railroad. Phyllis accompanied them and she and Dorothy cooked for the railroad workers and George worked as a handyman. They returned home in December and in January, 1974 traveled to Arizona where George was advised to go for his health. This time Phyllis and George's brother, Melvin went with them. They only stayed a few months when they found out the climate was not that beneficial for George.

Dorothy worked side by side with George to make a good home for their children. She milked cows, plucked chickens, raised huge gardens and preserved the vegetables and meat. She was a wonderful cook and put that skill to good use when she went to work outside the home when times got tough. She cooked for Heyl's Restaurant, the Bowling Alley café and the nursing home. She enjoyed helping granddaughters, Jean, Jamie and Jody with their cooking, sewing and animal 4-H projects. She was especially proud that Gerald named his daughter Dorothy.

She was a loving care giver, always taking care of someone. She helped care for George's invalid brother, Thomas; opened her home to George's elderly uncle and aunt, Les and Alice and took good care of George as his emphysema gradually worsened. Then later after George passed away she cared for her mother until her death in 1990. She went to stay with her daughters when they gave birth and could always find someone needing care.
She was an excellent seamstress, often making her own clothes, curtains, slipcovers and of course clothing for her children and grandchildren. She even tackled upholstery jobs.

She met Wilbur Griggs while living in Oakley after George passed away. They spent many good times fishing, dancing, picnicking, camping and traveling. Dorothy loved to travel and was fortunate to visit several different states, always retuning with a souvenir plate.

One of her favorite pastimes was watching her grandsons, Jimmy, KLee and Lance and "adopted" grandsons Danny and Skeeter Finley ride bulls. She also loved watching bull riding on T.V. with Phyllis, Charlie, KLee and Lance.

Music played a big part in her life. She loved listening to the Wright Brothers and her Uncle Cliff Wright play their fiddles and guitars. She could shake a leg with the best of them as she showed us at her 90th birthday party.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, George; her son, Leon; her daughter, Joyce; Joyce's husbands Richard Adamson and Lowell Picha; brothers, Elmer, Orval, Keith and Kenneth; a grandson-in-law, Dale Taylor, a stillborn grandson, Glenn Kendall Jr. and great granddaughter, Jade Taylor.

She is survived by one sister, Violet Kerr, Oakley, KS; one brother, Howard and his wife Eldora, Chappell, NE; sisters-in-law, Lulu (Elmer) Russell , Friend, KS and Lena (Orval) Russell, Lakin, KS; son, Gerald of Natoma, KS; daughters, Melba (Jim) Baehler, Sharon Springs, KS; Nelda (Mike) Marsh, Scottsbluff, NE; and Phyllis (Charlie) Bliss, Sharon Springs, KS; 14 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, 1 great-great grandchild to be born in September and many nieces and nephews.