Dorothy Gene Burroughs McHaney

Dorothy Gene Burroughs McHaney passed away on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at her home in Covington, Louisiana, at the age of 81. She was born on Saturday, May 27, 1944, in Independence, Louisiana, to the late Beatrice McDonald Davis and the late Donald Gene Davis. She was a resident of Covington, Louisiana, and formerly of Nederland, Texas.

Dorothy and Cooper ran a successful restaurant for many years, Dorothy’s Front Porch in Nederland, Texas. After 30 years of marriage, her husband Cooper passed away, and she was thrown into a world she wasn’t familiar with. Dorothy knew once again she had to make it on her own. When her kitchen manager at her restaurant wanted to buy a trailer, instead of her loaning her the money for the trailer, she suggested that her friend find a house instead, and Dorothy would purchase it and finance it for her. That kindness turned into her true calling and her business, helping people who can’t do conventional financing to achieve their dream of home ownership. “I know what it’s like to be dirt poor. That’s why I love helping people achieve the American Dream.” Many families have found their homes with her help.

Dorothy fought a courageous battle with cancer with her loving sisters, Betty Smith and Sylvia Giluso, and her faithful nurse/friend Nicole Walker by her side.

Dorothy is survived by her sisters, Sylvia (Tommy “Tom” Giluso) and Betty Smith; sister-in-law, Carolyn Davis; grandchildren, Daniel Murphy, Kate Murphy, Gregory Studelska, Adam Butner Burroughs, Mary Butner Burroughs, Danielle Boatright, Shane Idlett, Amy Rachall, and Brandy Rachall Stevenson; nieces and nephews, Tammy Canale (Rodney), Shannon Brown (Michael), Robin Davis, Pattie Strahan, Chad Smith (Scarlett), and Tommy “Gus” Giluso; and many great-grandchildren, great-nieces and nephews, extended family, and a multitude of friends.

She was preceded in death by her husbands, Cooper Burroughs and Jimmy McHaney; sons, Donald Diego Burroughs and Emmanuel Hayes; daughter, Sylvia Hayes; brother, Gary Davis; great-nephew, Justin Lang; great-niece, Danielle Strahan; and brother-in-law, Wayman Smith.

A gathering of Mrs. McHaney’s family and friends will begin at 9:00 a.m. with a memorial service to follow at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, December 27, 2025, at Broussard’s, 505 North 12th Street, Nederland. Her interment will follow at Oak Bluff Memorial Park, Port Neches. Her ashes will be laid to rest by her husband, Cooper and son, Don.