Dorothy McCauley Vinson

Heaven recently welcomed Dorothy McCauley Vinson after a full life of 95 years, 4 children, 9 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and two wonderful husbands.  She was born March 15, 1926, in Broadway, North Carolina to J. Ira Weldon and Zenobia Thomas Weldon.  During her early years, she grew up on her parent’s farm in Epsom, NC, where they also operated the nearby Lakeview community grocery store and grist mill.

In high school, she met her future husband, Joseph Franklin Boyd McCauley (Frank), who was also the preacher’s son where she attended church at Liberty Christian Church. After graduating from Meredith College in 1946, Dorothy and Frank were married, and their marriage would produce four beautiful children and last for 29 years until his death in Raleigh, NC, where they were both working for the NC State Government.

Dorothy continued working for the Employment Security Commission in Raleigh where she began a friendship with her coworker, William Harvey Vinson (Bill).  This friendship eventually led to their marriage and they enjoyed many happy years together until his death in 2011.  During Dorothy and Bill’s marriage, they lived in Raleigh, Myrtle Beach, SC, and Naples, FL, where they were active members of the First Presbyterian Church.  Following Bill’s death, Dorothy returned to North Carolina, and lived in Raleigh and Morehead City, NC, where she died on Christmas Eve 2021 at her home in Carteret Landing.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, John Ira Weldon, Jr, her first husband, Frank McCauley, her second husband, Bill Vinson, and her son, Joseph McCauley, Jr.  She is survived by her three daughters, Debbie (Frank) Outen, Jane (Mark) Barkley, and Irene (Buzz) Kistler, nine grandchildren, their spouses, and 18 great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank the staff of Carteret Landing for their caring and invaluable assistance as Dorothy’s health began to fail.

A memorial service will be held at 12 p.m., April 2, 2022, at Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, NC.

Family and friends are welcome to submit online condolences at www.mundenfuneralhome.net

Arrangements by Munden Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc. in Morehead City, N.C.