Dora May Hutchins

Dora May “Molly” Hutchins of Powhatan, Virginia, passed away peacefully in her sleep on February 14, 2026, at a nursing home in Petersburg, Virginia. She was 96 years old. She was born on October 31, 1929, in the Oregon Hill area of Richmond, Virginia and remained a lifelong member of the Oregon Hill Preservation Club, maintaining a deep connection to the neighborhood where she grew up.

Molly began working for the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company during World War II at just fourteen years of age, serving as a long-distance operator during a pivotal time in American history. She later fondly referred to those wartime years as her time with “Ma Bell.” She went on to retire from AT&T in 1977 after many years of service.

In 1946, she met her future husband, Clarence Calvin Hutchins, a U.S. Air Force airman from Livermore, Kentucky. They married in 1947 and remained together for fifty-five years until his passing in 2002.

Molly loved old Hollywood movies, especially "Gone With The Wind", and could often be found sewing small projects while watching the classics she cherished. She had a tender heart for birds and small animals, loved reading about all sorts of topics and faithfully grew a tomato garden year after year. She was known for making what many called the best chocolate fudge in Chesterfield County. A lover of history, she proudly traced her lineage back to Jamestown’s original 1607 settlement and several Revolutionary War ancestors.

She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; two brothers, Dicky Johnson and Charles Edward "Mickie" Liebs; two sisters, Gracie and Gladys Louise; and her son, Steven Carl Hutchins, who passed in November 2025.

In addition to many nieces and nephews, Molly is survived by two of her children, Gail Hutchins Mewes (widow of Dale) and Calvin Blaine Hutchins (widower of Carol), two granddaughters, Melissa Gail Weber and Linda Cosby Shaw; two step-granddaughters, Crystal and Melody and their families; and four great-grandchildren (Elizabeth, Samantha, DeVonte, and Nerisha).

Arrangements are being handled by Bennett & Barden Funeral Home of Powhatan. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Molly's favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Hospital.