Dorothy Vawter

Dorothy Schaeffer Vawter, 97, a longtime Memphian, died on April 9, 2020 in Mobile, Ala. A memorial service will be scheduled in Schaeffer Memorial Chapel, 7887 Poplar Avenue, when conditions permit. A crematory burial will follow at Bethlehem Cemetery in Capleville, Tenn. Mrs. Vawter is preceded in death by her husband, Vilas V. Vawter Jr. They lived for many years on Grove Park Road. Mrs. Vawter had been a resident at Mobile Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for the past 7 1/2 years. She is survived by a daughter, Sherri Vickery Adams (Cary) of Mobile and a stepson, Vince Vawter (Betty) of Louisville, Tenn. She is also survived by a brother, Milton T. Schaeffer of Germantown and a sister, Bettye Carasso of Olive Branch, Miss. She was preceded in death by three brothers: Joe, Gene and Duke and two sisters, Kittye MacNeille and Martha Sue Coleman. She is also survived by six grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and cherished nieces and nephews. At a time when few women held executive positions in the automobile business, Mrs. Vawter was unique. In 1954 she began her career as the financial manager of Schaeffer Lincoln-Mercury in West Memphis, a dealership owned by her brother, Milton. In 1956 she relocated with him to Schaeffer Lincoln-Mercury in Mobile. In 1961 she returned to Memphis to accept the position of secretary-treasurer and controller of Bluff City Buick Co. where she worked with her brothers, Joe and Milton. Mrs. Vawter was well-known and highly respected in the Memphis business community for her strong management skills. She was a member of the Honor Accountants Club of General Motors Corporation’s Buick Motor Division. She retired in 1988. Mrs. Vawter was a member of Second Presbyterian Church, Laurelwood Garden Club and an officer in the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary. She was also a member of the English-Speaking Union, the National Society Magna Charta Dames & Barons and the Plantagenet Society. As an officer in the Memphis Symphony League, she and her late husband were responsible for organizing the first Symphony League Golf Tournament. The couple was widely known in the ballroom dancing community. Serenity Funeral Home in Mobile is in charge. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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Dorothy Vawter

November 18, 1922 - April 9, 2020