Dorothy "Dot" Elizabeth Norris Hayes, 103, of Lumberton, North Carolina, passed away peacefully in her family's Fayetteville home on April 13, 2026.  Dot was born to Martin Van and Ruth Manning Norris in Rockingham, NC, on March 8, 1923, but lived most of her life in Lumberton, where she built a legacy in faith, family, and service.

Dot was as quick with a pithy saying as she was with a useful fact or thoughtful Bible verse. Born in a time and circumstances that prevented full realization of her abilities, she deftly made her own way in the world, raising four children while operating her own business for over five decades–a remarkable feat, going strong after most of us would slow down. She was also an avid Bible scholar, faithfully attending church and home Bible study fellowships well into her 90s. A charter member of Godwin Heights Baptist Church (1954), she served in several ministries, including a Sunday School class she taught in the downtown Lumberton fire station. Dot grew up singing with her sisters and had a library of hymns and songs in her head. Her natural ear for harmony was amazing.

Dot was the first of her family to graduate from high school (Allenton School, class of 1940). Her sisters, determined that Dot would not work in a textile mill as they did, helped put her through cosmetology school in Charlotte, NC.  She graduated from La Salle Beauty School in 1942 and operated Beau-Nette Beauty Shop in Lumberton for over fifty years.

Dot was tireless about her day. She wasn't sitting for long, and if she was, something was in her hands–shelling peas, beads to string, sewing to mend. An accomplished seamstress with an eye for fashion, Dot produced an impressive collection of garments for herself and her family. Her mind was constantly moving, too: drawing connections between things she had read and things she learned from the world around her. She enjoyed a well-timed witticism, and those of us fortunate enough to be in her living room loved hearing her lob verbal volleys with worthy companions. We were not all up to the task.

Remarkably healthy and independent well into her 90s, Dot could often be found tending her garden, digging up dandelions, washing her car, trimming hedges, or checking on others. Known for her thriftiness and practicality, Dot was a product of the Great Depression – a genuine specimen of the "Greatest Generation" who cared for several of her sisters in their last years, striving to give them the best quality of life she could manage. As a continued sign of her unwillingness to waste any good thing, Dot donated her body to the Brody School of Medicine, a final testament to her lifelong pursuit of good health.

Caring for Dot in the Basnight's home in Fayetteville for seven years was an incredible honor and the result of sacrificial love and coordinated effort on the part of her three daughters and their families, as well as the generosity of friends and neighbors. Dot made the experience an even greater joy with her wit, her constant expression of gratitude, and her settled refusal to complain.

Dot was predeceased by her husband of 61 years, Adrian Capers ("A.C.") Hayes and son, Larry Luth Hayes.  She was the last survivor of the Norris family, surviving Carleen Lyles, Lillie Bullard, Minnie Bryan, Homer Norris, Inez Ivey, Alma Ivey, and Myrtle Dudley.

Dot is survived by her daughters, Jill Basnight ("J.C.") of Fayetteville, Beth Carmical (Stan) of Lumberton, and Corliss Bradley (Mike) of Beaufort, NC.  She also leaves behind six grandchildren – Heather Henson (John), Ivey King (David), Jared Britt, Huntre Hagen (Aaron), Leah Hargrove (Zach), and Kathryn Baker (Kyle), and ten beloved great-grandchildren who affectionately called her "Grand Dot." She was especially close to a devoted niece and nephew, Rosemary Stankwytch Long and Wayne Norris, as well as many other cherished extended family members.

The Hayes family would like to express their gratitude for the excellent support and care provided by the dedicated caregivers of 3HC Home Health and Hospice Care, and to Mr. Thomas Andrews, a former neighbor who kept a kind and watchful eye on Dot for several years, enabling her to live independently until the age of 96. Special thanks also to Floyd Mortuary of Lumberton and a dear family friend, Ken Dowless of Bladenboro, for their kind assistance.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 11:30 am at Kingdom Place Pentecostal Holiness Church, where Dot was a member for many years: 2610 East 5th Street, Lumberton, NC  28358. The family will receive friends from 10:30 – 11:30 prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Brody School of Medicine at www.ecuhealthfoundation.org or the family would also be most pleased to know that Dot's memory was simply celebrated with bouquets of beautiful acts of practical kindness – a gesture she would have found most fitting.