D'Oracy "Dee" Laverne (Thomas) Vazquez

D'Oracy "Dee" Vazquez Obituary THE SERVICE WILL BE LIVESTREAMED. PLEASE SEE BELOW. D'Oracy L. Vazquez, known by many as “Dee,” triumphantly entered her heavenly home on October 31, 2022 at the age of 83. D’Oracy was born on September 24, 1939 to Carl T. and Katherine (McMullan) Thomas in Pelham, Texas, a farming community founded by formerly enslaved people. The oldest of eight children, she spent her early years in Pelham and later moved to Midland, Texas where she attended Carver High School. As a child, she served as the organist at the AME church where her family attended. Dee has always enjoyed a broad range of music from Aretha Franklin to Puccini. She played the piano, organ, clarinet and English horn and enjoyed singing with a sweet vibrato. After graduating as the valedictorian of her high school class in 1956, she studied psychology at Texas Southern University, a historically black college in Houston. After graduating from Texas Southern in 1960, D’Oracy made plans to enroll in graduate school to further her studies in psychology but she answered the call to marriage to Edgar Vazquez shortly after the two met while Edgar was stationed with the U.S. Air Force in Texas. After they married, Edgar was transferred to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio and later worked for IBM. The couple had four children: Judith (deceased), Edgar S., Rebecca and Jennifer. The three eldest children were born in Dayton and the fourth child was born in Southfield, Michigan shortly after the family moved to Michigan when Edgar was promoted to a role at IBM. The family made their last move to Beachwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, in 1978 following another promotion for Edgar. D’Oracy continued her graduate studies and earned degrees in education and school psychology while caring for her children. D’Oracy returned to work full-time following the passing of Edgar after a battle with cancer. D’Oracy retired as a school psychologist from East Cleveland City Schools where she last served at Rozelle Elementary following a period of district-wide service. Prior to her work with East Cleveland City Schools, she served as a school psychologist at Christ the King in East Cleveland and as a teacher/behavioral specialist with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities in Montgomery County. She was known as a strong advocate for children, developed strong parent engagement programs, mentored and trained other professionals and routinely provided direct support to meet the real life needs of families. She was known as a woman who cared and fought for the least of these to ensure the children in her care received the psychological and special education services the needed and deserved. Shortly after arriving in Cleveland, the family joined St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church when Father Austin R. Cooper served as Rector. Two meaningful areas of service to the community included leadership of the St. Andrew’s Church Foundation Board that supports the church’s independence and provides educational scholarships to youth and the establishment of an Arts Committee to provide enrichment opportunities and support local area arts organizations through patronage. D’Oracy also served as a long-time member of the Vestry and very active in pastoral searches following the retirement of Father Cooper; she served as the president of the Adult Forum; she served as a chalice bearer and was a member of the Altar Guild. She was also an active member of the Union of Black Episcopalians. St. Andrew’s was a place of deep connection for D’Oracy and her friends there continue to be a strong support for her and her family. D’Oracy was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend and mentor. Her bright, beautiful smile and recognizable laugh will be held closely in our memories. She is preceded in death by her parents, Carl T. and Katherine (McMullan) Thomas; brother, Jerry Thomas; sister, Beverly Thomas; husband, Edgar Vazquez; and daughter, Judith Vazquez. She is survived by her children Edgar S. Vazquez, Rebecca (Mark) Vazquez-Skillings and Jennifer (Greg) Vazquez-Norman; grandchildren, Sydni Vazquez, Samantha Vazquez, Katherine Skillings, Viktor Vazquez-Norman and Francesca Vazquez-Norman. She is also survived by loving siblings, Linda (Leroy) King, Carl Thomas, Donna Thomas, Paula Thomas and Pamela Thomas. She will also be remembered by a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins, family and friends. For those family and friends wishing to offer expressions of love in her honor, please consider a donation to the following organizations: Pelham Community History Museum 22375 FM 744 Hubbard, Texas 76648 DonorsChoose.org DonorsChoose.org provides support to teachers for creative classrooms activities, projects and initiatives. Please select an East Cleveland City School classroom project to support in her honor. St. Andrew’s Church Foundation 2171 E. 49th Street Cleveland, Ohio 44103 To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of D'Oracy "Dee" Laverne (Thomas) Vazquez, please visit our floral store. Read More

D'Oracy "Dee" Laverne (Thomas) Vazquez

September 24, 1939 - October 31, 2022