Hello Dolly. She was born in a small village at the foot of the Andes mountains, Silvia, Colombia on
March 30, 1935, Dora Velasco. She moved to Cali, Colombia to live and work with her relative Aunt Elvia
and family. In her youth, she had a vivid dream that the Virgin of Guadalupe was pulling her to the U.S.
Just like that, with $50 to spare, she decided to immigrate, and became Dolly of Texas, working as a
nanny. She was a pioneer in her family being among the first to embark on such a brave undertaking.
When the US Consulate asked her during her visa interview why Texas, she quipped, "I want to meet a
cowboy." She had spent months trying to learn English by watching John Wayne movies. Once in TX,
she did not meet the cowboy, but a used car salesman and retired military man John Stanley Davis,
whom she married and had her only daughter, Jenny Davis. Early into the marriage, she became a
young widow left to raise a daughter as a single parent and limited command of English. She took side
jobs sewing, including sewing hair on toupees. She saw an entrepreneurial opportunity, as NASA landed
men on the moon, she secured a Small Business Loan and opened Satellite Hair Center, making custom
made wigs for balding men. With her barber license, she cut, snipped and sewed herself to a career as a
minority woman owned business. Her daughter like so many immigrant children grew up in the back
shop sweeping hair, cleaning combs, sharpening scissors, doing bookkeeping, and reading every Time
magazine in the reception area. Dolly was passionate about reading, the arts, and education. She made
sure her daughter knew the verses of Cultivo Una Rosa Blanca as well as the Bible. When her daughter
was bullied in school for being an immigrant, Dolly said to go back and "ask those Texas girls if they can
speak Spanish and English." She bought set after set of expensive Encyclopedia Britannica's to make
sure her daughter was knowledgeable, even though she herself had a very limited education. Dolly
would send her daughter to Colombia in the summers and holidays to make sure her Spanish, and
culture were nourished. Her daughter eventually became a human rights immigration attorney after
securing multiple degrees. Even with all the possibilities the US offered, Dolly never forgot her promise
to the Virgin of Guadalupe, making an annual "peregrinacion" to the Basilica in Mexico City. She
traveled all over Europe, Japan, and the Americas. Upon selling her hairpiece business, she moved to
Sanford, North Carolina for a couple of years, but the call of Texas was too large. She relocated and
retired to Katy, Texas, where she dedicated her time to prayer and church seeking miracle after miracle.
She overcame colon cancer, hurricanes, floods, covid, and a FEMA disaster that led her to assisted living
where she spent the last few years of her life. She passed away peacefully on January 25, 2023 in the
arms of her only daughter, Jenny. She also leaves her son in law Sean Doyle, her grandchildren Andrieu,
Abigail, and Allison Doyle. She leaves behind sisters Luz and Alba Velasco, the Velasco family in
Colombia and the US, the seven children of her late Aunt Elvia, the amazing Colombian community of
Houston, the communities of SPX, University of St. Thomas, the Church communities of St. Anne's, St.
Edith and the prayer groups who have given her the sustenance to overcome many challenges. Special
thanks to Ana Cuero and Connie Moreno who cared for her with love until the last day. For those who
have been able to know the fiercely independent Dolly Velasco Davis, we say Dolly'll never go away
again.
A home service will take place on Saturday January 28, 2022 at 22103 Calderbrook Drive, Katy Texas.
Padre Javier from Colombia will lead us in prayer. We will have and empanadas and share stories.