Dorothy Ellen Royall Ariail

Dorothy Ellen Royall Ariail, 90, of Charleston, South Carolina, widow of Clyde Milton Ariail, entered into eternal rest Thursday, June 16, 2022. 

Dorothy was born at Baker Hospital on Colonial Lake in Charleston, South Carolina on March 14, 1932, daughter of the late James Perroneau Royall and Dorothy Yates Cunningham Royall. Dorothy developed a love for art at an early age.  Initially, she faced misgivings from elderly relatives concerned with the “practical” side of a young girl’s dream of the arts in the 1940’s. Undaunted, and following her young heart, she entered a newspaper art competition without permission.  Further discouraged as a teenager from pursing art as a career, she persevered double majoring in Art and English at Winthrop College so that she could teach both in South Carolina Public Schools.  She served as President of the Westminster Fellowship her senior year and she graduated from Winthrop College in 1953.  

While teaching in Camden, SC, Dorothy, affectionately known as Dot, would meet the love of her life on a blind date.  Not knowing which of the two “Clydes” that appeared at the door was intended as her date, she quickly fell for the right one meant to be, Clyde Milton Ariail.  They were married in less than a year and went on to have three children, raising their family and sharing a loving and beautiful marriage of twenty-three years.  Dorothy lived most of her life on James Island, South Carolina.  As a child, she lived on Clark Sound, filling her days swimming (just not on Sundays), crabbing, and boating with cousins along the waterfront.  From these experiences, she developed a deep love for the marshes, creeks, rivers and the ocean along the South Carolina coast.  

For many years after obtaining her art degree from Winthrop College, Dot taught art to multitudes of children on James Island, mostly at the local high schools.  After retirement from the South Carolina School System, she taught private art lessons to both children and adults. Dot’s abiding passion was always her love of children, especially her own. One year, the local high school where she taught received more scholarship funds for art students than the entire athletic department, an enduring testament to her love of art and all the art students she taught along the way.   She was the namesake of the Dot Ariail Art Award which was awarded to talented art students at the local high school for a number of years and also received an honorary doctorate on May 31, 1987 from Savannah College of Art and Design for her work in the arts.  

Dorothy loved animals… loving and caring for pets of many varieties during her lifetime.  She loved nature and wildlife with the trees and flowers and the birds and butterflies holding a special place in her heart and in her paintings.  She loved the red birds who sang in the trees and visited the porch in her backyard, something that brought a sweet joy to her soul.  

Dorothy loved her family deeply.  Her husband, Clyde Milton Ariail, Sr. was the love of her life.  Her three children were the apple of her eye, whom she loved unconditionally and with deep devotion throughout her life.  She cherished and loved her granddaughter, Amhara, who affectionately called her Grandot.  Her Grannie and Grandfather Royall were a sparkle in her eye and she was a caretaker to her father-in-law, Warren Galloway Ariail, her stepfather, John Roper Bryan, her beloved mother, Dorothy Royall Bryan, and her aunt, Annie Royall Harper.  Dorothy held a constant and enduring faith in her savior, the lord Jesus Christ.  She was a member of Harbor View Presbyterian Church. 

Dorothy is survived by her three children: Anne Bright Ariail and Warren William Ariail, both of Charleston, SC, and Clyde Milton Ariail, Jr. of Jacksonville, FL; sister, Elizabeth "Betty" Louise Royall Bartlett of Norfolk, VA; and granddaughter, Malka Amhara Summerford-Ariail of Arcata, CA.

Dorothy’s Funeral Service will be held Saturday, June 25, 2022 in Harbor View Presbyterian Church, 900 Harbor View Road at 11:00 a.m. followed by a reception. Her burial in Holy Cross Cemetery will be private. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel.

Memorials may be made to Harbor View Presbyterian Church, 900 Harbor View Road, James Island, SC 29412 or the Dementia Society of America, 188 N Main St, Doylestown, PA 18901.