{"id":448709,"date":"2026-09-26T19:44:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T19:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/448709\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T19:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T19:44:11","slug":"how-these-houston-ladies-are-remembering-late-country-music-legend-dolly-parton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/448709\/","title":{"rendered":"How these Houston ladies are remembering late country music legend Dolly Parton"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAYTOWN, Texas \u2013 The tables were set, the mahjong tiles were ready and the room was awash in pink Friday as a Houston-area group of women gathered to celebrate Dolly Parton\u2019s life and legacy.<\/p>\n

The \u201cDolly Lunch & Mahjong\u201d event at The Mustard Seed, located at 9111 Massey Tompkins Road, brought together about 40 women for a buffet lunch, mahjong games and a celebration of Parton\u2019s music, style and philanthropy.<\/p>\n

The gathering coincided with Dolly Parton Day on Sept. 25 \u2014 a date chosen as a nod to Parton\u2019s hit song \u201c9 to 5.\u201d Communities across the country marked the day with celebrations, pink lights, parades and book drives<\/a> following Parton\u2019s death last month at age 80.<\/p>\n

A legacy of bringing people together<\/p>\n

For Angela Clement, the event was a natural way to honor a woman whose influence extended far beyond country music.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe led a godly life. She lifted up other women. She was a literacy advocate,\u201d Clement said. \u201cShe rose very high from her humble beginnings, and her music touches everyone in a positive, good way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clement normally hosts about 20 women for a weekly mahjong game at her home. After Parton\u2019s death and the announcement of Dolly Parton Day, she began planning a larger gathering with The Mustard Seed. The event filled all 40 spots in less than 24 hours.<\/p>\n

\"\"Houston-area women gather around a pink mahjong table during a Dolly Parton-themed luncheon honoring the late country music icon. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)\"\"Houston-area women gather around a pink mahjong table during a Dolly Parton-themed luncheon honoring the late country music icon. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Next year\u2019s celebration falls on a Saturday, and Clement expects the group could grow to about 60 women.<\/p>\n

But the day was about more than a game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really not about the game. It\u2019s about all the friendships that you make,\u201d said Ann Best, who moved to the area from Seattle five years ago.<\/p>\n

Best said mahjong helped her meet people in a new community. She did not know everyone in the room, but she said that was part of the appeal.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t move into a community and get to know people… except mahjong,\u201d Best said. \u201cI think I know half of Mont Belvieu and Baytown now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Women from several mahjong groups attended, including the regular mahjong moms, the \u201cMahjongers\u201d and members of the Mahjong Society. Some were seated with people they had never met before.<\/p>\n

Clement said the game\u2019s social and challenging nature creates an easy way for people to connect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have a large girlfriend circle. I have no family here,\u201d said Clement, who retired from ExxonMobil after 28 years. \u201cWhen I got the opportunity to learn mahjong and the social aspect of mahjong, we were all about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A woman holds a butterfly decoration during the Dolly Parton-themed luncheon, celebrating one of the singer\u2019s signature symbols. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)Decades of friendship, advocacy and rhinestones <\/p>\n

Gina Bibb attended alongside several former high school classmates as they prepare for their 50th reunion. She said she also made new friends through the group.<\/p>\n

Parton\u2019s commitment to children and literacy was another major theme of the event. Through her Imagination Library, the Dollywood Foundation provides free books to children, sending more than a million books each month in communities across several countries.<\/p>\n

\"\"Event attendees collected donations for Dolly Parton\u2019s Imagination Library, which provides free books to children. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Bibb said Parton\u2019s philanthropy is one of the reasons she continues to inspire so many people.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe could have just been all about herself,\u201d Bibb said. \u201cBut she\u2019s still down to earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The women also celebrated Parton\u2019s unmistakable style. Rhinestones, sequins, butterflies, big hair and shades of pink filled the room, reflecting the look Parton made part of her public identity.<\/p>\n

Clement wore a sweatshirt featuring one of Parton\u2019s best-known sayings: \u201cFind out who you are and do it on purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A Dolly Parton-themed shirt reflects the country legend\u2019s lasting influence on her fans. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)\"\"Dolly Parton-themed shirts reflect the country legend\u2019s lasting influence on her fans. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, that means shine,\u201d Clement said. \u201cBe who you want to be. Don\u2019t be who the world conforms you to be. Be yourself, shine bright and live a full life.\u201d<\/p>\n

For another attendee, Parton represented kindness and the ability to lift people\u2019s spirits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf everyone could be like Dolly, this world would be unbeatable,\u201d said Robin Stoerner. \u201cHer kindness, her thoughtfulness, her ability to bring smiles to people just by entering a room \u2014 we need to be more like Dolly.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the end of the luncheon, the mahjong tables had become meeting places for old friends and new ones. The women played, posed for photos and celebrated a legacy they said was rooted not only in music, but in generosity, optimism and community.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was so happy and uplifting,\u201d Best said. \u201cHer whole purpose in life was to make people happy and spread joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Start Here, Houston\"\"<\/p>\n

More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAYTOWN, Texas \u2013 The tables were set, the mahjong tiles were ready and the room was awash in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":448710,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[12596,447,8846,2419,56,58,57,27],"class_list":["post-448709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-baytown","tag-community","tag-dolly-parton","tag-history","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-texas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}