Dorothy Mae Nanton

Dorothy Nanton, affectionately known as “Dot” or “Toot” to family and close friends,
made her transition on Thursday, April 6, 2023 after a well hard fight against congestive heart
failure and the ills that came with it. Her strong will to live, unwavering faith, and the love,
prayers, and care from family, friends, and supporters gave her the strength to hold on until
April, 6. It is so meaningful, fitting, and symbolic that she held on until the same date that her
first Grandson, Dominique Elijah Nanton transitioned on April 6, 2021 to join him in that “house
not made with hands; eternal in the heavens”. It seems that she wanted us all to have a lifelong
“one day of mourning, celebration of life, and memory”; sparing us the pain of having to do that
more than once every year. Forever compassionate, to the very end. Always thinking about the
feelings of others.
“Dot” was born May 2, 1933 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She was the oldest of four
siblings born to (the late) Odon Brewton and (the late) Florea Tecora Tucker Brewton. She
attended and graduated from George Washington Carver High School in Spartanburg, South
Carolina, which was the city’s only Black high school; a school that its alumni boasts as the
“first generational Black students to graduate, go to college, and aspire to excellence”. As a
result, “Dot” attended Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina before
moving to New York City. “Dot” met Ezra Alphonso Nanton Sr. when she arrived and settled in
The Bronx, NY in 1958. Ezra’s cousin, Sam “Chico” Wilson, introduced them to each other and
the courting began. They spent time going to movies with Ezra Sr. also playing music to “Dot”
over the phone in a successful attempt to “woo her” over time. They married on January 11,
1960. With Ezra Sr. working as a Surgical Technician at St. Vincent’s Hospital and “Dot”
working as a Paraprofessional within the NYC Department of Education, they raised three
children with all the love they shared. The hard-work ethic of both of them allowed them to
travel often and regularly to visit family to maintain the strong family ties that were important to
her. This included regular trips to the U.S. Virgin Islands and back to the South where she came
from.
“Dot” loved to spend times with friends and family. Whether on Boston Road in The
Bronx with her youngest brother Bill and his family, in Lawrenceville, New Jersey with her
oldest brother Jimmy and his family, or back down the road to Spartanburg, South Carolina with
her sister Barbara (Barb) and her family, her mother Florea, and her cousin Dorothy Ann Lyles
(another Dot … lol) and her family, “Toot” made sure that all the kids in the family got a chance
to meet and spend time with each other and grow up as a unit; a tradition that we continue to try
to promote and hold on to as a family. A trip to Baltimore, MD every now and then was another
destination for “Aunt Dot”. In addition, her best friend while in New York was a “geechie” (no
disrespect) from Edisto Island, SC (Ms. Lorraine Whaley) who was “another mother” to all of
her children. This relationship solidified the family and extended the family that meant so
important to her. So, traveling the Eastern Seaboard via car or Amtrak was a regular occurrence.
“Dot” was a mother figure to so many people and an “Auntie” before that term became
popularized. Her warm heart and kind soul made you feel loved. Her soft voice made you feel

comforted, like a big hug. She will be forever remembered and missed but will continue to
remain in our hearts and everyday memories.
As the oldest child, “Toot” was strong and survived many who predeceased her;
including her father: Odon Brewton, her mother: Florea Tecora Tucker Brewton, her siblings:
William (Bill) Brewton, James (Jimmy) Brewton, and Barbara (Barb)Williams-Nesbitt and
again, her 1st-born Grandson, Dominique Elijah Nanton. Dorothy leaves to cherish her precious
memories, her three children: Maurice Nanton, Nadine Nanton, and Ezra Nanton Jr;
Stepdaughter, Alicia Nanton Quetel; Daughter-in-Laws: Marie Nanton and Joyce Dembry-
Nanton; her grandchildren: Nia Nanton, Dylan Nanton, Kionna (Chris) Gilchrist, Travis
Gallishaw, and her 1 st great-grandaughter Jream Dominique Moore; one of her favorite cousins/”
sister”: Dorothy Ann Lyles, and numerous cousins, nephews, nieces, other family members and
countless friends.

www.tcarrillofuneralservice.com