Dorothy Bramlett Obituary

The queen. The icon. The legend.
Dorothy Mae Bramlett (Williams) graced this world with her radiant smile, humor, and generosity from May 5, 1939, to February 10, 2025. She was a beautiful human.
Dorothy was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Manilla Williams (Davis) and Fisher Williams. She was the younger sister of Fisher, Jr. and older sister to Wanda and Margaret. Dorothy adored her siblings, and she cherished every moment spent connecting with them. Cross country visits, detailed letters, and long phone calls defined their close bonds.
She married Wendell Bramlett and moved to San Diego in the 1970s. She and Wendell both realized they were far better friends than a married couple and they remained close friends for the rest of her life.
Dorothy attended the South Haven Community School where her favorite teacher, Miss West, instilled in her a love of reading. She also attended Carver Junior High School and Booker T. Washington High School in North Tulsa. When she was a junior in high school, she desegregated Webster High School in West Tulsa. She entered the charged social climate with emboldened, resilient confidence. She excelled as an honor roll student, a member of student council, and a field hockey player. Dorothy maintained lifelong friendships with peers from both Booker T. and Webster as a proud member of the class of 1957.
After being kicked out of a home economics class in 7th grade (she demanded to know why she needed to learn an ironing technique that she never planned to use), she found herself in a typing class. Soon, she was able to type faster and more accurately than anyone in the class and she decided that she would make a living as a secretary. After high school graduation, she earned an associate's degree from the Draughon School of Business in Tulsa and eventually earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and psychology from San Diego State College.
Dorothy believed that a solid education was the most important tool for self-determination. She encouraged every young person she met to read books, to work hard in school, and to pursue their education seriously. She had a knack for knowing exactly when report cards were issued, and she periodically called the students in her life to check-in on their grades or college aspirations.
Dorothy was relentlessly curious. She read the newspaper daily, dove into "how-to" books, devoured biographies, and frequently opined, "you know, that would be an excellent science fair project." She made it a goal to process as much new information everyday as she could, often downloading that information in quick notes on whatever scrap of paper was nearest. Her mind stayed busy and inquisitive. She was a prolific writer. Ideas for books, letters to friends, records of family lore, short poems and prayers, and big philosophical questions all kept her typewriter keys warmed up and ready to work.
She was the family historian, she could remember the names of first, second, and third cousins on both her maternal and paternal sides of the family. One of Dorothy's favorite pastimes was finding the phone number of a distant cousin and calling them just to say "hello." Her large collection of phone numbers and addresses reflected her commitment to keeping her family connected.
Dorothy was fully invested in her beloved South Haven community. In 1994, she co-founded Band of Hands, a non-profit organization to support the children of the neighborhood. When she learned that someone needed something, she worked tirelessly to help them get that need met. Dorothy was both well-connected and unafraid to solicit a sponsorship from a company. She worked with companies to get everything donated for South Haven children from back-to-school clothes to Nutcracker ballet tickets. She often refrained, "Poor kids deserve nice experiences, too."
She had a talent for shopping, particularly bargain hunting, and she could find treasures that no one else was patient enough to seek. She primarily shopped for other people- a nice suit for a neighbor going on a job interview, a book about baseball for a friend's grandson who just started little league, or a prom dress for a girl at church who was worried she would not be able to afford one. Dorothy took immense joy in finding something special for a person that she just knew they would love.
Her loved ones were constantly on her mind. She became genuinely interested in a subject simply because someone she loved was interested in it. When she read the newspaper or magazines, she cut out articles to share with her family and friends that made her think of them. She learned everything she could about cooking when her son began working in kitchens, she diligently read and edited hundreds of pages for her siblings' writing projects, and she even completed a "Dorothy marathon" so she could share the finish line glory with her daughter.
She was known as "Mom" not only to her children, Steven and Stephanie, but also to the dozens of others in her community who benefited and relied on her parenting. Her advice was sound, sometimes unsolicited, and always offered with such care and earnestness that one could not help but consider it. She did not sugar coat or mince words– when Mama Dot told you to get your act together, you did it. She expected excellence from all her children, and she cheered them on while they pursued it. She was rocksteady in her generosity, always showing up for anyone who needed her.
Dorothy knew God and her faith was unshakable. She believed that God loves all people, unconditionally, and her life reflected her beliefs. She would not tolerate intolerance or hatred, and she wanted people of all identities to know that they were safe in her presence. She knew how to give a good pep talk. She believed in forgiveness, grace, and people's capacity to do better. She easily saw good in everyone.
In 2020, Dorothy came to Exeter, NH for what she thought would be a two-week stay with her daughter and son-in-law to ride out the COVID-19 pandemic. Two weeks turned into five years, and she came to love boarding school life and small-town tranquility. She was a regular presence on the Phillips Exeter Academy campus, and she loved chatting with the students about what they were learning in school. Dorothy was impressed with their intellect and big ideas. She looked forward to reading each publication of The Exonian school newspaper. She enjoyed dance performances, music concerts, and speakers. Each time she commented, "I'm so glad these kids are the future." Dorothy made friends everywhere–in her neighborhood, at the Exeter Senior Center, and at the Exeter Library. She and her red walker were well-known throughout the town and community members would often stop to chat with her. She loved to sit on the porch, bask in the sunshine, and regale stories from her life.
Having only taken two drags of a cigarette sometime in the late 1950s before declaring it absolutely disgusting, a metastatic non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis was shocking to her. The speed at which her illness moved was shocking to everyone. She quickly charmed her team of doctors and nurses at Mass General Brigham by telling stories of her youth in Tulsa, asking them about their path to becoming a medical professional, and cracking jokes at every opportunity. She was pleased to be at a teaching hospital and was delighted to know that doctors were studying her illness, and she was contributing to advancements in science. Her voice was bright and strong as she was adamant about not causing worry or hardship for anyone. She wanted to go on her own terms, on her final day, she simply slipped away in her sleep.
When someone lives to 85 and ¾ years, there are already a host of ancestors waiting to receive them in heaven. Dorothy was welcomed by her parents, her brother Darrell Fisher Grant Williams, her sister Wanda B. Sterling, her son Steven Scott Fisher Williams-Bramlett, and a great many other family members and close friends. She is survived by her daughter Stephanie Bramlett and son-in-law Daniel Budak; sister Margaret Marie Williams; grandchildren Torian Bramlett, Keith Mackey, Taylor Gallagher, and Tyler Gallagher; and great-grandchildren Talia Bramlett, Taraji Bramlett, Taneyah Bramlett, and Torian Bramlett II, Addison Gallagher, and a bright constellation of other cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends who will carry her memory forward.
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Mt Olive Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma
4017 W 55th Place
Homegoing Service at 3pm
Saturday, May 10, 2025
15 Grove Street in Exeter, NH
Brunch and Memories at 11am
Effortlessly regal, generous of spirit, and guided by faith and love, Mama Dot will be forever missed.