Dorothy "Dottie" Stafford Brezeale

Dorothy "Dottie" Stafford Brezeale, age 87, of Clayton, NC, passed away late in the morning of Saturday, November 29th, in the comfort of her home with her devoted husband C.P. holding her hand.

Born November 5th, 1938 in Radford, VA, Dottie was the youngest of three daughters. In school, she was involved in several clubs, including the school newspaper, the chorus, and the science club, the last of which she was president in her senior year-as well as being an avid player of intramural basketball and field hockey. After graduating from Radford High School in 1957, she studied business at what is now Radford University for three years, during which time she married her high school sweetheart C.P. Brezeale on December 15th, 1959. After her years at college, she began to devote much of her time to her growing family, and she mainly lived in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and, for the last 23 years, North Carolina.

Dottie was a dedicated and supportive mother to three daughters, each of which inherited pieces of her passions-her skill in cooking, baking, gardening, ceramics, and sewing along with her interest in classical music and science, and many more admirable traits and hobbies that have since been passed down to generations of offspring. While balancing home life, Dottie also spent time over the years working as a bookkeeper, a secretary, a fundraiser, a substitute teacher, and a volunteer at multiple schools, and involving herself in the local community. At the same time, she always involved herself in church communities, including singing in the choir at every church to which she belonged. Once her children were grown, she developed a passion for golf (which lasted until Alzheimer's took that from her) for which she earned three trophies: two for holes-in-one and one for winning a ladies' golf tournament. In later life, she loved to visit family, play games with her grandchildren, play bridge with her friends, and help those around her. She is remembered as a caring, thoughtful, and loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, who was always doing her utmost to make her guests feel welcome, her friends appreciated, and her family adored; looking forward to each minute she would get to spend with those she loved. After 87 years of bringing light and joy to those around her, she has passed on to join Jesus in Paradise, but Dottie's legacy remains tangible in the lives of everyone she loved.

Dottie is survived by a large family-her loving husband of very nearly 66 years, C.P. Brezeale; her three daughters, Debby (Duane) High, Kathy (Craig) Stever, both living in Pennsylvania, and Christina Brezeale Kennedy, living in Massachusetts; eight grandchildren; and eleven great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents, Ernest Bailey and Mary Virginia (Sumption) Stafford, and her two sisters, Betty Stafford (Robley) Perrow and Mary Stafford (John) Myers.

A Celebration of Dottie's life will be held at First Baptist Church, Clayton, NC on December 13th, 2025 at 3:00 PM, followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall.