Dorothy Ann Wells Adkins passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
She was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, on May 11, 1933, to Carrie Ouzts Wells and Mitchell Wells. She grew up on a farm with her parents, older brother Glen, and younger sister Shirley. After high school, she attended East Central Junior College in Decatur, Mississippi. One weekend, when she was home recovering from the flu, a sailor in uniform knocked on the door and asked Carrie if Dorothy would join him for a drive-in movie. Dorothy said, “I don’t know any sailor. Tell him I’m not here.” Upon learning that the mystery sailor was Howard Adkins, who she had fancied in high school, she changed her mind, got out of bed, and washed her hair. As Dorothy liked to say, “I’ve been going with him to the movies ever since.”
They married in 1956 and had three children: Steve, Gail, and Clark. When Howard finished his military service and began pursuing his own higher education, Dorothy kept the show running behind the scenes. She worked in a bank and for a propane company, collected data for the U.S. census, managed the family finances, and kept everyone fed and clothed. She learned academic formatting techniques and spent hours on her typewriter, turning Howard’s handwritten dissertation into the complete, formal document that he needed in order to earn his Ph.D.
The young family moved to West Virginia in 1970. Though she was always a Mississippi girl at heart, Dorothy made Wild and Wonderful West Virginia her home. As an election worker, she helped generations of West Virginians exercise their voting rights. She also served as president of the Marshall University Faculty Wives. A longtime member of Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, she volunteered at Vacation Bible School and enjoyed going on trips with the Dynamic Adults.
Dorothy enjoyed reading her Bible; she also enjoyed legal thrillers. When necessary, as the family accountant, she studied tax law and finance. She enjoyed watching Westerns, courtroom dramas, and reality TV (especially Survivor). She enjoyed traveling the country with Howard and her children and grandchildren, seeing everything from Washington, DC, to Alaska.
She worked an enormous garden, made her own jam, and prepared multiple-course dinners for her extended family on holidays. She enjoyed jigsaw puzzles, the more challenging the better, and always took the most difficult sections.
Dorothy was a fierce advocate who did not hesitate to stand up for her loved ones. She would speak to the manager if necessary. A savvy shopper, Dorothy rarely paid full price for an item, because she always had a coupon. In over 70 years of driving, she never had a speeding ticket.
Dorothy was predeceased by her brother Glen and sister Shirley Wells Stuart; her husband, Howard, son Clark, and grandson Logan. She is survived by son Steve (Annie), daughter Gail, and daughter-in-law Robin; grandchildren Stephanie (Daniel), David (Alyssa), Thomas, Johnathan (Janie), Duane, Eliza, and Benjamin; great-grandchildren Jordan and Lily.
Services, officiated by Reverend Christina Turner, will be held at Wallace Funeral Home in Milton on Saturday, January 31. Visitation begins at 10 a.m., with the funeral at 11 a.m., followed by burial at Forest Memorial Park.
