Tributes

Dorothy Lou “Dottie” Pararo Green, age 89, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, with her family at her side. Dottie was born on November 2, 1933, in Tallahassee, to William Robert Pararo, Sr., and Eva C. Anderson. She attended Leon County schools and graduated from Leon High School in 1951. She was a member of Killearn United Methodist Church in Tallahassee. While employed as an executive secretary, she met her husband, Mallory Eugene “Mal” Green. They married on March 26, 1954. The addition of Dottie’s income allowed Mal to graduate from FSU with a bachelor’s degree free of debt. It was just the beginning of the supportive role she would play throughout her husband’s career in high profile positions of responsibility. It gave her joy to make their home a refuge that was as beautiful as it was comfortable. Dottie gave many hours of her time to the community. She volunteered at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, was a fundraiser for the restoration of the Old City Bank, and was a member of the Tallahassee Garden Club Rose Circle, the Tallahassee Women’s Club and the Town Club. She was a supporter of the arts through the Monticello Opera House, Lemoyne Art Museum and Tallahassee Theatre Guild. In 1983, Dottie served as General Chairman for Springtime Tallahassee. The next year, she was a nominee for Tallahassee Woman of the Year. In a way that is often ascribed to Southern ladies, Dottie was both gracious and tough. She held strong personal, religious and political opinions but without causing offense. When trials arose, she drew upon her conviction that God held the rudder of her life, had a definite plan for it and with His help she could face the adversity and move on. Dottie was a great lover of animals, wild and domestic. Her dogs, Buttons and Susie, were her delight but she would feed anything that looked hungry whether fox, deer, raccoon, bird, opossum or stray cat. She loved the music of the 40’s and 50’s and jazz. She was a gifted historian and researcher, compiling an extensive genealogy of her family. She frequently traveled the American West and the North Carolina mountains with Mal, the man she called her best friend and companion, saying that she could ask no more of life than to have had him for her husband of 68 years. Dottie is predeceased by her husband, her parents and six siblings: Myrtice L. Herring, Aline E. Corley, Eula Mae Moody, Daisy Lee Black, William R. Pararo, Jr., and Earl Edwin Pararo. She is survived by five nieces, LaVerne Johnson (Jim), Linda Jo Pararo, Sheila Winchester (Mark), Pam Butler (Kenny), Kim Outlaw (Steve), and her primary caregivers, nephew William R. “Rick” Pararo and his wife, Carla. Although she did not have children of her own, she is blessed to be survived by numerous nieces and nephews to the fourth generation. Adding to her comfort in the last year of life was the loving support of niece LaVerne, and great nieces Vicki Polak Onofry (Ronnie), Stephanie MacKenzie (Lance), Caroline Pararo and Natalie Pararo Ferrand (Stephen). The family wishes to extend special thanks to Gail Wells, Juana Powell and Bev Fogarty-Pagel for their friendship and compassionate care, and to Big Bend Hospice for the resources and guidance they provided. The family will be receiving guests for a visitation at Bevis Funeral Home on Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. with a service celebrating her life to follow at 11:00 a.m. Committal will be held at Roselawn Cemetery after service has concluded. In Dottie’s memory, please consider a charitable contribution to Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida, 32308 or www.bigbendhospice.org. Breanna Green of Bevis Funeral Home is assisting the family with their arrangements.

Tributes

Dorothy Lou "Dottie" Pararo Green

November 2, 1933 - May 31, 2023