Dorris E. (Wright) Brockelbank, 77, of Bucyrus, Missouri passed away at 6:30 a.m. May 10th at the Autumn Oaks Care Center in Mountain Grove, Missouri after a lengthy illness. Dorris was born February 21, 1935, in Bragg City, Missouri to Elijah and Maysol (Taylor) Wright. Most of her childhood was spent in Wright, Arkansas where she attended Plumb Bayou School. After relocating with her family to Long Beach, California, she graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School and met and married John L. Brockelbank. To this union three children were born, Michael Anthony, Timothy Mitchell, and Shelley Warren. In 1958 Dorris was selected as the winner of “Queen for a Day” where she enjoyed her 15 minutes of fame and came home with a new washer and dryer, a new refrigerator and freezer as well as diaper service for a year.
Dorris was preceded in death by her husband, John Brockelbank; her parents; two brothers, Ronald and Robert; and her daughter, Shelley (Brockelbank) Padgett. She is survived by her two sons, Michael and wife Gaye and Timothy and wife Ruth; one sister, Marjorie Stilley and husband Leroy; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and numerous nieces and nephews.
After raising her family Dorris went on to pursue a career in nursing, where she graduated from nursing school in San Antonio, Texas with an LVN. She worked many years in the nursing field before retiring to Bucyrus, Missouri. During retirement she enjoyed gardening, canning, and growing her flowers to share with others. She was an avid animal lover and leaves behind two special companions, Frick and Frack, two Bichon Frieze dogs. She will be missed by her family and loved ones.