“Dottie”, as she was called, was a native Pensacolian born July 15th in the old Sacred Heart Hospital on 12th Avenue. She graduated from Pensacola High School class of 1945 and was a Pensacola High School band majorette. Dottie loved football, bridge, and was a championship golfer with four career hole-in-ones. She was a former Pensacola Country Club Ladies Champion and won invitational golf tournaments in New Orleans, Mobile, Milton, Brewton, Panama City, Fort Walton Beach, and Grand Bahamas. Dottie served as President of numerous civic and golf clubs. She was the first female president of Escambia High School Booster Club. She served as President three times for the Pensacola Ladies Golf Conference. Dottie volunteered over 40 years with the Pensacola Sports Association (PSA) on the American Amateur Classic and PGA and was honored by being inducted into the PSA Hall of Fame. Dottie assisted her son “Geno” with the administration of his business, the Emerald Coast Golf Tour. She was in real estate for 25 years, having been President of Realtors Associates and serving as Secretary for the Pensacola Board of Realtors. She attended Tulane University while residing in New Orleans. Dottie was affectionately known as “The Cat Lady” as she had a great love for cats, and she cared for many of them over the years. 

Her close friends and family also called her “Sugar” or “Sug” for short. She is survived by her three children (Nancy Gillyard, her husband Glenn, Diane Owens, and Geno Celano and his wife Roberta), five grandchildren (Darren, Gina, Rob, Tammie, and Glenda), and four great grandchildren (Ian, Seth, Alexandria, and Annie)

Visitation will be 10:00 AM Saturday, April 30, 2022, at Waters & Hibbert Funeral Home, 124 West Gregory Street, Pensacola, FL. 32502. Services will follow at 11:00 AM with Interment at St. John’s Cemetery, there will also be a Live Stream of the Services on Waters & Hibbert Funeral website.