Malakoff - Services for Dora "Nana" Ward Ragland Estes are scheduled for 3:00 PM Tuesday, April 27 at Hannigan Smith Funeral Home Chapel with Derek Rogers officiating. Burial will follow in Becks Chapel Cemetery.

Dora was born August 14, 1927 in Henderson County to Arthur "Boss" Ward and Emma Pitts. She went to be with her Lord on Friday, April 23 in Malakoff.

She spent her young years in the Cross Roads community and married Robert "Bob" Ragland in 1945. The couple moved to Kerens where she worked for Dr. Hoffer as a dental assistant and was a member of the First United Methodist Church.

Dora later married Don Estes in 1975 and lived in Crandall before moving back to her beloved home place. After moving back to Cross Roads, she became involved in the Cross Roads Independent School District by becoming a member of the School Board. For a short time, she was also the overseer of the Koon Kreek Klub south of Athens.

After the death of her husband, Don, in 1992, she became an aide for the special education class at Cross Roads High School and dearly loved working with those students. In 2000, she was asked to become director for the schools in-school-suspension program. In spite of fighting breast cancer for the past thirteen years, she was at school every day until her retirement in February 2010.

Dora was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of VFW Post 4376 and American Legion Auxiliary Unit 0310. It was a great joy of hers to let everyone know that there were five generations of girls in the family which made her a great-great-grandmother… "Nana".

She was preceded in death by her husband, four brothers, and two sisters. There are many Ward descendants who will miss her at the annual Ward reunion of which she was very active in getting started and continuing through the years.

Dora is survived by son, Robert Ragland and wife Linda, Athens; daughter, Rita West and husband Sammy, Kerens; three grandchildren, David West and Marianne, Deanna and Johnny Jackson, Jennifer Ragland; three great-grandchildren, Jacob Castillo, Kirby Jackson, Keri and Vicente; one great-great-grandchild, Vanessa Grace; and many other friends and loved ones.

Pallbearers include Tommy Barnett, Chuck Taylor, Greg Landrum, Darrell Kutscherousky, James Weldon Ward, and Mitch Ward.

Honorary pallbearers include all employees of the Cross Roads Independent School District.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 6:00 to 8:00 PM Monday, April 26.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to a scholarship fund for CRISD students set up in her memory at First State Bank Athens, Malakoff branch.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dora Elene Estes, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.