She was born July 10, 1945, in Roanoke Rapids, NC, a daughter of the late Roger and Ella (Jones) Downing.
She is survived by her husband, H.E. “Sarge” Travis, whom she married May 21, 1969. Also surviving are one daughter, Susan Nelson Lasko and her husband Steve, Clarksburg; one son, Jackie Nelson and his wife Mary, Stonewood; a grandson, Adam Nelson and his wife Olivia, Clarksburg; three granddaughters, Kayla Lasko and her fiancé Luke Waller, Clarksburg; Emily Lasko, Clarksburg; and Samara Nelson Caroli and her husband Justin, Stonewood; three great granddaughters, Kynzi Waller, Kylee Waller, and Maggie Caroli; and two great-grandsons, Darrell Charles “Beebs” Boone, III, and Wyatt Caroli; and a great grandson on the way, Gavin Nelson; a special nephew, Scott Travis, Petersburg; one sister Letitia Ward and her husband William Tick, Weldon, NC; and one brother, Roger Downing, Jr. and his wife Ann, Winter Park, FL; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by three sisters, Juanita, Ruth and Betty Ann, and a brother, Lefty.

Dorcas was a graduate of Roanoke Rapids High School and the University of Florida. She had previously worked at Rosewood Nursing Home for 8 years and also at Grafton City Hospital for for 20 years as a Dietary Manager. She was a Past President of the Dietary Managers Association, having served two terms. She was Protestant.

Friends will be received at Burnside Funeral Home, 607 S. Virginia Avenue, Bridgeport, on Sunday, July 5, 2015 from 2:00-8:00 pm, where services will be held on Monday at 12:30 pm with Reverend Tom Horne presiding. Interment will follow in WV National Cemetery. Burnside Funeral Home, Bridgeport West Virginia.