Dorothy Ann Johnson (Burton) Timmons

Dorothy Ann Johnson (Burton) Timmons, 94, of Amarillo, TX passed away July 17, 2023.

Funeral service will be at 2:00 p.m., Monday, July 24, 2023 at First Presbyterian Church, 1100 S. Harrison. Interment will be in Llano Cemetery. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors.

Dorothy Ann Johnson Timmons was born February 4

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, 1929, to Orville Leroy (O.L.) and Peggy Frances Strange Johnson in Bloomington, Indiana.  She moved with her parents and sisters as a young girl to Oklahoma, to Dallas briefly, to Amarillo, to Pampa for one year, and then to Amarillo, where she attended elementary school, Nixson Junior High, and Amarillo High School, where she sang in the Acappella Choir and graduated at the young age of 17 in 1946.

As a young girl she sang often around Amarillo and at Tony’s Tavern in Red River, NM with her sisters Barbara and Sue.  Their mother had taught them from an early age to sing popular and sacred music in beautiful, 3-part harmony.  They were known as “The Johnson Girls” and regularly sang “Sentimental Journey”.

Dorothy studied music at Amarillo Junior College for 2 years and then finished her college degree in Elementary Music Education with a Concentration in Voice at North Texas State University (UNT), graduating in 1950.

Dorothy taught briefly in Dumas and in Lubbock and then settled into teaching elementary music, math, and science for Amarillo Independent School District at Olson Park Elementary in the 1960s and at Southlawn Elementary 1975-1985, when she retired.  Although her hearing loss forced her to retire sooner than she had planned, she continued using her gifts for loving and teaching children by becoming a volunteer at The Speech and Hearing Center and later at Belmar Elementary with the REPD program for hearing-impaired preschoolers entering AISD schools.  She took many hours of ASL and MSS sign language classes to help her in her volunteer teachers’ assistant position.

In 1996 she became one of the first Amarillo recipients of a cochlear implant.  This was a life-changing operation and allowed Dorothy to regain much hearing and therefore do many things she had given up in years prior.

Dorothy grew up actively attending Polk Street Methodist Church with her family, and later, as a young adult was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Dumas and became a charter member of St. Paul Methodist Church in Amarillo.  In 1966 she along with her children, Debby, David, Alan, and Timmy, began attending First Presbyterian Church.  Dear common friends introduced her to the love of her life, Richard Eli (Dick) Timmons, who she shared 41derful years of marriage with until his passing in 2007.  Together they were life-long members of First Presbyterian Church, where she became the founding director of the handbell choirs, including St. Stephen’s Guild Bell Choir (high school), Bell Chorale (junior high), Joy Choir (3

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grades), Ladies Handbell Choir, and NUFF Bells (seniors).  She played piano and lead singing for children’s Sunday School classes, Vacation Bible Schools, directed numerous children’s choirs, including Cherub Choir (3-5 years), Angelus Choir (1

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-3

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grades), and Carol Choir (4

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-6

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grades).

In 1979 Dorothy toured Scotland and London with the First Presbyterian Church Youth Choir and St. Stephen’s Guild Bell Choir, where she directed numerous performances and led worship services with the handbell choir, as Richard Kidwell directed the youth choir. In 1981 she again toured with the church’s youth choir, directing St. Stephen’s Guild Bell Choir in Switzerland and Germany.  She even prepared and memorized introductory speeches in German and in French, which she presented at each performance and worship service on this tour.

Dorothy is remembered for singing, “O Holy Night” for all Christmas Eve worship services at First Presbyterian Church for many years and especially for being the very best mother and mamaw!

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, O.L. and Peggy Johnson, her sisters, Barbara Raburn and Sue Mims, her husband Dick Timmons, two sons, Alan Timmons and Timmy Timmons, and a granddaughter, Samantha Timmons Dodt.

She is survived by her sister, Sondra Childers of Austin, her son, David Burton and wife Debbie of Amarillo, two daughters, Debby Branigan and husband Rick of Amarillo, and Mary Ferguson and husband Clay of Amarillo.  She is also survived by 10 grandchildren, Leslie McGill (Joe), Rodney Branigan (Lisa), Lisa Flowers (Dustin), Ryan Branigan (Angela), Nathan Burton, Sarah Cline (Matt), Krystal Calderon (Marcus), Luke Ferguson (Stacy), Matthew Ferguson, Meagan Ferguson and especially dear friend Cody Dye, and a grandson-in-law Dave Dodt.  Great grandchildren are Braden, Cameron, Carter Layne, Mia, Ava, Emma, Chloe, Daisy, Jacob, Finley, Kennedy, Carter Rose, Jasmine, Trey, Kinsey, Eason and Cohen; and her three great great grandchildren are Brett John, William Elijah, and Naomi Elise.  Dorothy is also survived by many cousins, nieces, and nephews who all loved her dearly.

The family suggests memorials to First Presbyterian Church Music Ministries.