The Robert McKinley Dooley family
Robert McKinley Dooley was born on October 22, 1900 in Lanier, Cass, County, Texas. He was the son of Andrew Jefferson Dooley and Sarah Jane Fore Dooley. The family moved to the Zion Hill Community when Robert was a small boy and he lived in this community all of his life.
Robert was ordained as a minister on July 3, 1932 at Zion Hill Baptist Church. His first church was Shady Grove Baptist Church near Atlanta, Cass, Texas. It was a new church and it met in member’s homes and under a brush arbor in the summer. He met and married one of his members, Irene Gertrude Thomas, daughter of Thomas Allen Thomas and Myrtle Mae Pillow Thomas. They were married on September 2, 1933, in the Thomas home near Atlanta, Texas.
Robert and Irene lived with Robert’s mother on the family farm for 3 years and then bought land about one mile away, still in the Zion Hill Community. They had four children, Myrtle Jane, Robert McKinley, Jr., Frances Irene “Polly”, and Mary Francelle.
Robert was the pastor of area churches including Zion Hill, Forest Hill, Center Hill, Salem, New Hope, Bethsaida “Y”, Piney Grove, and many other churches. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, a preacher usually was the pastor of at least two churches at the same time. He would preach at one church on the 1st and 3rd weekends and the other one on the 2nd and 4’ weekends. He would go on Saturday evening for the church services, spending the night with one of the members and having services again on Sunday morning and Sunday night. On Saturday, May 18, 1949, he went to Salem Baptist Church near Bloomburg, Texas, for Saturday night services and he was staying that night with Mr. and Mrs. J. V. Kennedy. They had gone to bed and a very bad storm came. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy jumped up and ran to the storm cellar. In their excitement, they had forgotten about the preacher, and had left him in the house. He said he prayed and moved furniture as the windows broke, trying to save what he could. The storm lasted about 45 minutes and when it was over, there was considerable damage all over Cass County. The preacher was unharmed and so were Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy.
On October 22, 1950, on his 50th birthday, Robert had surgery in St. Michael Hospital at Texarkana, Arkansas, and was diagnosed with cancer. That was the first-time lot of people in this area had heard the word, cancer. He died on January 29, 1951 at Zion Hill during a very bad ice storm. The hearse had to be pulled to the cemetery by Jeeps. He was buried in Friendship Cemetery at Lanier, Cass, Texas. There was no cemetery at Zion Hill at this time. Irene and her children continued to live on the family farm and she worked as a nurse in area hospitals. She later married Taylor Dooley, nephew of Robert. Taylor died on March 29, 1990 in Atlanta, Texas and is buried in Zion Hill Cemetery. Irene died on February 8, 1999 and is buried beside her 2nd husband, Taylor Dooley, in Zion Hill Cemetery. Robert and Irene’s oldest child, Myrtle Jane, named for both grandmothers, was born on September 6, 1934 at Zion Hill. She married 1st Dude Laster and they had two children, Jerrie Ann and Rickey Lynn. Ricky Lynn died on June 23, 1979 in Shreveport, Caddo, Louisiana and is buried in Zion Hill Cemetery. Myrtle Jane married 2nd Troy Trippit in Willis, Texas. He died on September 20, 2001 and is buried in Brookside Memorial Park at Conroe, Texas.
Robert McKinley, Jr. was born on December 4, 1935 and married 1st Allene Breeden and they had two daughters, Yolanda Gaye, and Angelia Darlene. His 2n<l marriage was to Barbara Keener. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked in the logging business. He died of lung cancer on August 20, 1996 in Shreveport Caddo, Louisiana and is buried in Zion Hill Cemetery.
Frances Irene “Polly” was born on May 6, 1937 at Zion Hill and married 1st Glen Darrell Vaughan. They had three daughters, Deborah Carol, Glenda Rene, and Cynthia Lorann. They divorced and Frances’ 2ntl marriage was to Larry Norman Russell. Larry died on May 9, 1994, in Dallas, Texas and is buried in Queen City Cemetery, at Queen City, Cass, Texas. Later, she married Lex Whatley, Jr. and they live in Jefferson, Texas. Frances is a registered nurse and so are her three daughters and one grandson.
Mary Francelle was born on June 4, 1939 and married Jearell Mack Robertson and they had two children, Jearell Mack, Jr. and Carol Denise. Jearell Mack, Sr. died on May 28, 1993 in New Caney, Texas and is buried in Mabry, Texas. Mary works as an office manager in Houston, Texas. The people of this area still remember Bro. Dooley and will tell stories about his preaching or the influence he had on them as young people. Some tell that he married them, held the funeral service for a loved one or baptized them.
Robert’s children remember him as a fire and brimstone preacher, who played the piano by ear and kept time by patting his foot. He was very strict but tried to raise his children to be good and honest people.
– Submitted by Frances Dooley Russell Whatley