Estelene Dotson Stillwell of the Mac Community was born June 28th, 1933, at Maple, Taylor County, Kentucky, the first of ten children born to John Raymond Dotson and Nancy Ellen Price Dotson. She departed this life on June 15th, 2025, in Campbellsville. She was 91 years of age.
Estelene professed faith in Christ and was a member of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church. Her life was a shining example of Christian humility and kindness. She worked for many years as a seamstress at Fruit of the Loom before her retirement. A loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she was “Nanny” to all of her family. She dearly loved her family and her church. There was often a crowd at her home, gathered around the wood burning stove in the winter or on her front porch in the summer. She was also an avid genealogist and collector of obituaries and photographs, and enjoyed the history of her community and her church.
On July 30th, 1952, she was united in marriage to Ralph Garland Stillwell. He preceded her in death on April 28th, 2003.
Survivors include three children: Gary Stillwell and companion, Teresa Pennington; Judy Johnson and husband, Gary; Dale Stillwell and companion Ketta Phelps; a daughter-in-law, Debbie Stillwell; five grandchildren: Josh Johnson and wife, Leeann, Jeremy Johnson, Aaron Stillwell and John Stillwell, and Bradley Pennington; great-grandchildren: Ashton Johnson and fiancé’ Braeden Paxton, Jacob Johnson, A. J. Stillwell, Shelby Buckman and husband Aaron, Tanner Johnson and Bryce Cooke, all of Campbellsville and an expectant Great-Great-Grandson, Cohen Tate Buckman. Other survivors include a sister, Mary Reed of Campbellsville, a brother, Jewell Dotson of Columbia, and a host of other relatives and friends.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a son, Keith Stillwell, on November 16th, 2022, and her siblings: Matthew Dotson, Nellie Johnson, Jim Dotson, Monroe Dotson, Sylvia Price, Paul Dotson & Elba Dean Dotson.
The funeral service for Estelene will be on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at 2:00 P.M. at the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Taylor County with burial to follow in the church cemetery.
Bro. Freddy Thompson and Bro. Twyman Davis will be officiating.
Family requests visitation after 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday at the church.
Pallbearers:
Gary Stillwell, Dale Stillwell, Josh Johnson, Jeremiah Johnson,
Aaron Stillwell, AJ Stillwell, John Stillwell, Jacob Johnson
Honorary Pallbearers:
Tanner Johnson, Bryce Cooke, Aaron Buckman, Gary Johnson,
Braeden Paxton, Shelby Buckman, Ashton Johnson