At her retirement ceremony after thirty-five years working in the offshore oil and gas industry, it became apparent that Nora Dossett probably knew just about everyone in that industry, from floorhand to company executive.  The attendees, the speeches given, and the memories exchanged were all emblematic of a life well lived in service to others, whether those others were family, friends, or co-workers.  And it was in her selflessness, immense good will, and her generosity of spirit where she truly found fulfillment.

Nora was born in Morgan City, Louisiana, on June 7, 1944, as the second child and daughter of Herbert Joseph Lee and Evelyn Josephine Lee.  She grew up in Amelia, on Bayou Boeuf, an area that, along with Morgan City, then known as "the shrimp capital of the world," would grow along with her and emerge as the epicenter of marine construction and offshore oil and gas exploration and production.  Her parents were commercial fishermen in the summer months and commercial trappers in winter.  And she spent much of her childhood at their sides on the bays, bayous, and in the marshes of Terrebonne Parish.

Later in life, when her own nest was empty, she made the three-hundred-mile roundtrip between her home in Morgan City and her parents' new home in Sugartown virtually every weekend, where she was a fixture cutting grass and helping with other chores on the ten-acre homestead.  She was a devoted daughter through the remaining years of her parents' lives.  She missed them terribly every day after they left, and she talked about them often, grateful to share cherished memories with family and friends.

She had only one child, Kevin, to whom she was equally devoted.  Without fail, she was always his biggest fan and most ardent supporter, there for every milestone, championing, supporting, and sacrificing for him every step of the way.  She considered him her proudest accomplishment.

Nora wore many hats during the course of her work life.  She was a telephone operator, a secretary at St. Andrew's Catholic Church, and a fish skinner at Guillory's Fish Dock, among others.  But in 1978, she began work as a secretary for a small drilling contractor named The Offshore Company, and it was there she found her calling.  Over the course of the next thirty-five years, through various spin offs, acquisitions, and mergers, The Offshore Company would become Transocean, Inc.  Over those years, she wore many hats at Transocean, successfully navigating the highs and lows of the offshore oil and gas industry.  In 2013 she took a well-earned retirement.

Upon retirement, she relocated to her parents' former home in Sugartown, where she tackled her beloved hobby of grass cutting in earnest.  She described the task as relaxing, saying that it was good for her mental health.  She cherished the quietness of the place.  She would often describe with great joy feeding crackers to "her rabbit" or "her turtle" from the front porch.  It was particularly exciting for her when whitetail deer would cross her property or even come up to her front windows.

In Sugartown, her next-door neighbors were her sister, May, and brother-in-law, Bob.  As young women, Nora and May raised children, grocery shopped, and hunted antiques together.  They were Thelma and Louise long before the movie and without having to go off a cliff.  She grew closer to May and Bob in recent years, often sharing breakfast, coffee, and crawfish, with them, along with the occasional antiquing trip.  She also grew closer to her two Goddaughters (also her nieces), Maria and Caullet.  And while she loved her fur grandbabies, Magnum and Sydney, an awful lot, she particularly cherished her role as "Nannie Nora" to her sister's grandchildren and great grandchildren.

In April 2020, Nora was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer.  She faced this challenge of a terminal diagnosis head on, weighed the options presented to her, and began life-prolonging treatments at Baylor's Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center's campus in The Woodlands, Texas.  Given her treatment schedule and the limitations occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, she spent the first fourteen months living with her son and Terra at her second "home" in The Woodlands, which allowed them to spend meaningful time together every day.  In recent months, her therapy regimen and the reduction of pandemic restrictions permitted her to return to her home in Sugartown for periods of a week or more at the time.  And she particularly appreciated this return to some measure of autonomy.

During the course of her cancer treatments, her oncologists were continuously amazed at her remarkably unusual response to treatment.  Unlike many, her chemotherapy treatments did not make her sick and her cancer largely was held in check, never progressing to the point of causing her great pain or discomfort.  Many thanks are owed to Dr. Angela Coscio and her team of oncology nurses, who Nora grew very close to during the course of her treatments, for their untiring care and compassion.

Nora left this world on Wednesday, August 25, 2021, as a result of complications following a stroke she suffered while at home in Sugartown the prior week.  She was able to speak with and visit at length with her son and her sister in the emergency department of Beauregard Memorial Hospital before being airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Houston Medical Center.  The family is grateful that she was spared having to endure end-stage pancreatic cancer, and that her passing was peaceful and without suffering.

Nora was preceded in death by her parents, Herbert, and Evelyn Lee.  She is survived by her son, Kevin T. (Terra) Dossett of The Woodlands, Texas, her sister, May, and brother-in-law, Bob Alleman of Sugartown, Louisiana, her nieces, Maria (Jeffrey) Marcel of Frisco, Texas, and Caullet (Waylon) Trahan of Sugartown, Louisiana, along with their children, and grandchildren, and far too many friends to list.

At her request, there will be no formal service or visitation.  Interment of her ashes will take place at a later time in Sugartown, Louisiana.  In lieu of flowers or similar expressions of condolences, please consider a donation in her name to the Gary Sinise Foundation, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Warrior Dog Foundation, or your favorite, reputable charity for veterans and first responders, children, or animal rescue.