This has been a hard week as several people I’ve admired has passed away. I wanted to share the people behind my families memories from movies, music, television and wrestling and the people who’ve touched my families lives.

If your like me some people become part of our lives because we knew them personally. Others become part of our lives because their music, movies, voices, characters, or stories somehow find a permanent place in our family.

For my family, Dolly Parton is one of those people. And because today is Sunday, I couldn’t think of a better place to begin than with Dolly’s gospel music which was a big part of my life growing up.

Dolly Parton passed away on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80. This is the same day my mother passed away so it was a really hard day for not only me but my sister and brother as well.

The news of Dolly’s passing has brought an incredible amount of sadness to people around the world, but when I think about Dolly, I don’t want my first thought to be simply that she is gone.

I want to remember what she gave not only my family but the world. Music. Stories. Laughter. Movies. Books. Faith. Family. The LORD and that unmistakable Dolly Parton voice she shared.

In our home Sunday has always had a little more music in It. One type of music that plays a big part in our home on Sunday is Gospel music. Which has always had a special place in my heart, and Dolly understood the connection between gospel, country, family and faith.

Dolly grew up in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee in a large family, and music was part of her childhood. Her grandfather was a Pentecostal Preacher, and faith and music were woven into the world she came from.

That is one of the reasons her gospel music feels different to me. It doesn’t feel like something she simply added to a career. It feels like something she carried with her from her childhood.

Songs such as “He’s Alive,” “The Seeker,” and the many gospel recordings she made throughout her career show another side of the woman behind all the rhinestones, big hair and famous country hits.

And then there is Joyful Noise. I don’t know if you’ve seen this movie but it is one of the reasons Dolly belongs on our Sunday list. It gives us a chance to talk about music, gospel, community, friendship, faith, singing and even the differences that can exist between generations.

And that makes it much more than just a movie. It can become a conversation. I can probably name more Dolly Parton songs than I could ever fit into one article. Including “Coat of Many Colors.”, “Jolene.”, “9 to 5.”, and “I Will Always Love You.” And so many more.

But one of the things I love about Dolly is that you don’t have to be a country music fan to know her. You may know her from a movie. You may know her from a children’s book like the Little Golden Book she is in.

You may know her from Dollywood her Amusement Park. You may know her from the Imagination Library where she gave children’s books away. You may know her because your mother listened to her. Or your grandmother. Or your children.

Or maybe you simply recognize that big blonde hair and that smile from somewhere. That is what makes someone part of our memories. For me personally I can’t talk about Dolly without talking about “I Will Always Love You.”

Dolly wrote the song during the end of her professional relationship with Porter Wagoner which I didn’t know until the other day. She recorded it herself, but Whitney Houston’s version introduced the song to an entirely different generation through The Bodyguard.

And yes, I love Whitney Houston’s version. I could listen to Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard connection all day. But I don’t think Whitney sang it “better” than Dolly. She sang it differently.

That’s an important music lesson all by itself. Two artists can sing the same song and create two completely different experiences. Dolly gave us the songwriter’s heart. Whitney gave us an enormous cinematic performance. And now both versions belong to music history. Is there one version you like of the song better? David loves Dolly’s version which I also like but I am #TeamWhitney all the way and Charlie says either is fine.

When it comes to a star passing there may be full circle moments and Dolly also takes me back to people in my David’s family. Her connection to Appalachia and coal-mining communities makes me think about my mother-in-law’s family. Her father lost his life in the coal mines, and my father-in-law grew up just down the road from Dolly.

Suddenly Dolly isn’t just a famous woman from Tennessee. She is connected to pieces of my family’s history. Then there is Porter Wagoner. And the funny thing is, my son’s graduation suit jacket brought another little Porter Wagoner connection into our family story.

That’s how memories work. One song leads to a singer. A singer leads to a movie. A movie leads to a person. A person leads to a family story. And suddenly you have come full circle. Is this what happens to you?

There is so much we can learn from Dolly and we can study music history which would be a great #Homeschooling lesson. We can study Appalachian geography and culture. We can talk about songwriting and poetry.

We can learn about entrepreneurship and building a recognizable brand and we can talk about literacy through Dolly’s Imagination Library. We can discuss philanthropy and giving. We can listen to gospel music.

We can compare two versions of the same song and we can watch an age-appropriate movie and discuss what we learned from it. And we can simply ask a child: “Who is Dolly Parton, and why do you think so many generations know her?” You don’t have to turn every memory into a formal homeschool lesson. Sometimes learning begins with curiosity.

And then there is the Dolly who lives in my house. I have a little Dolly tray and some little Dolly signs that I found at Dollar General. Those aren’t museum pieces. They’re little keepsakes.

But every time I see them, they remind me of something. That’s why I believe our memories matter. Sometimes the things that mean the most aren’t the expensive things. They’re the little things sitting on a shelf or tucked away in a room that make you smile when you see them.

And now, when I look at my little Dolly things, they’ll remind me of a woman whose music became part of generations of families. Including mine. Do you have any Dolly in your home?

Come join me on the front porch because this is only our first Dolly story. If Dolly Parton is someone who has touched your life through her music, movies, books, faith, business, philanthropy or simply the joy she brought into the world, keep watching Greatful Moments.

We have more Dolly stories coming. We’ll talk about her music, her movies, her business journey, her books, her family connections and some of the little pieces of Dolly that have found their way into our own home.

Because this isn’t simply about remembering people who have passed away. It’s about remembering why they mattered to us. And sometimes, the best way to remember someone is to pull up a chair, turn on the music, and tell the story.

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates