Shirleigh Zachary

January 10, 1927 - July 23, 2012

Shirleigh Jane Zachary (née Heiss) was born on January 10, 1927 in Waterbury, CT. She and her brother, Gordon Heiss, children of Christian Heiss and Charlotte Gruber Heiss, grew up in Beacon Falls and Seymour, CT where she attended high school. Shirleigh was nominated Valedictorian of her senior class and graduated Summa Cum Laude with honors. She was musically gifted and played both the violin and piano with exceptional ease. While pursuing a nursing degree at The New England Baptist School of Nursing in Boston, MA, she met and married J C Dotson, a medical student at Harvard, Cambridge, MA in 1948. Shirleigh's nursing career began in the US Army while her husband served as a Naval doctor in Newport, RI. Four daughters were born in Newport and Providence and one in El Paso. Upon moving to El Paso, Texas in 1958, Shirleigh continued her nursing career at Providence Memorial Hospital as an OR nurse, followed by University Towers, providing many of El Paso's children their allergy shots, Sun Towers Hospital as an ICU nurse, Hotel Dieu, St. Josephs Hospital, The Back Institute, El Paso Plasma Center, and Tigua Hospital. Shirleigh was respected and admired for her constant professionalism and compassion. Shirleigh worked hard to support five girls and give them every opportunity to enjoy a variety of childhood activities and pursue a college education at some of the best schools in Texas. Shirleigh will be remembered for her patience, strength and positive outlook. Her charm, humor and quick wit never eluded her. She could always be counted on to help out and did so without complaint. Retirement at 70 allowed her to fully enjoy her dogs and grandchildren. She loved to work in the yard, read, crochet and watch Murder She Wrote and Matlock. Special prayers go to her daughters Candace Leigh Dotson; Robin Dotson Torres; Lore Dotson Webel; Kimberley Dotson Bartlett; and Terri Dotson Love; and her 11 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Shirleigh's name to El Paso Animal Rescue League of El Paso.