Mrs. Dorothy Roland Parke Cothran

April 4, 1920 - November 26, 2020

Funeral services for Mrs. Dorothy Roland Parke Cothran, 100, who entered into rest on Thursday, November 26, 2020, will be held at 2 o'clock on Monday, November 30, 2020, in Bishopville Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Christopher M. Parnell will officiate with burial to follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends in the sanctuary one hour prior to the service. Hancock-Elmore-Hill Funeral Directors are caring for the family. Memorials may be made in her honor to Bishopville Presbyterian Church, PO Box 66, Bishopville, SC 29010. Mrs. Cothran, the widow of James Wyatt Cothran, Sr., was born on April 4, 1920, in Memphis, TN. She was the daughter of the late Ray C. Parke and Violet Bloom Parke. As a strong Christian, Dot exhibited kindness, gratitude, sweetness, and grace in all she did. She gave of herself in service through Scouting (Cub, Boy, and Girl) from dealing with rambunctious children to regional leadership. Quietly smart she had many creative ideas to add to any discussion. Her creative flair exhibited itself in her love for flowers: growing and arranging them for show and personal enjoyment. She won numerous awards for the simple, clean lines of her arrangements, often using what was available in her own yard. Dot was equally gracious while dining with royalty and heads of state or while digging in the dirt with her Garden Club friends to beautify Bishopville — the “Garden Spot of the Carolinas.” She was blessed to travel worldwide with “Jimmy” on VFW business and on USC Trustee business, always lending her quiet strength, intelligence, and beauty to every occasion. She was beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. Dot used her time, talent, and treasure to support the work of God’s Kingdom. She served in many roles within Bishopville Presbyterian Church and when mobility prevented her from devoting her time and talents, she continued to give her treasure. We can easily hear Jesus, with open arms, saying to her: “Hi, Dot. Welcome to your Father’s house!” She is survived by her son, Thomas Parke (Lou) Cothran of Columbia, SC, Julia Lea Cothran of the home; grandchildren, Cordy M. Williamson, Amanda W. Blanton, James C. Williamson, Richard A. Cothran, Dana C. HJaney, James W. Cothran III, Lauren C. Roach; numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her two brothers, Ray Parke, Jr., and Eugene Parke; by her oldest son, James W. Cothran, Jr.; and by a granddaughter, Stacey Annelle Cothran. Serving as pallbearers will be Richard Cothran, Daniel Haney, Wyatt Cothran, Josh Roach, Perry McCutchen, Tyson Eckley, and Stephen Williamson.