Burke, VA – Dorothya Jean Thomas Canady, 90, widow of Col. Thomas Howard Canady, Jr., US Air Force Ret., and a Franklin native, passed away October 27, 2018 in her home.  She was born in Marietta, TX to the late Arthur Serena Thomas and Amy Dale Thomas and was also predeceased by a daughter Kendall Kay Canady and three sisters.

Dorothya met her future husband while being a model in Miami Beach, FL.  They were married in Coral Gables, FL then moved to Tokyo where she began her life as a diplomat's wife.  She became fluent in Japanese, Indonesian, and Spanish courtesy of the army language schools.  She loved living in those countries and traveling the world.  When she finally returned to the US, she worked for defense contractors in Northern Virginia and became an international contract negotiator.

Left to cherish her memory is a daughter Kelsey Grice (Chuck) of Virginia Beach and two grandchildren McKenzie and Parker Griffo.  As Tom and Dorothy grew older, they were lucky enough to have Christina Cortez (Bernard Serome) enter their lives.

A Graveside Service will be held at 2 PM Friday, November 2, 2018 in Poplar Spring Cemetery with Rev. Randy Wright officiating.  Her final wish was to return to Franklin to be buried next to her loving husband. www.wrightfuneralhome.org