Iris Lael Bills

Iris Lael Bills, 82, a former longtime resident of Abilene, died Wednesday, December 22, 2010, at a Dallas hospital. Born in Winters, Texas on January 12, 1928, she was the daughter of Layton Marion (Roberts) and Clyde Herbert Dorsett. Iris graduated from Hobbs High School in Fisher County, Texas and Draughon's Business College in Abilene. She worked for an attorney in Snyder and Sweetwater prior to moving to Abilene in 1954. In Abilene she first served as secretary to Bill Tippen for two years while he served as District Attorney. In 1956 Iris became Mr. Tippen's secretary at Bradbury, Tippen and Brown Law Firm, which later became Bradbury, Adkins and Nix from which she retired in 1996. Iris was a member of Legal Assistants Division of the State Bar of Texas and served on the original Board of the Legal Assistants Division of the State Bar of Texas, first appointed by the president of the State Bar in 1981 and subsequently re-elected to serve for five additional years. She was a member of and served in almost every office of the Taylor County Legal Secretaries Association, and was a member of both the Texas Association of Legal Secretaries and the National Association of Legal Secretaries. She was honored as Taylor County Legal Secretary of the Year in 1974, and as Texas Legal Secretary of the Year in 1981. Iris was a former member of the Abilene Quilters Guild. Her parents; one brother, Harlan Dorsett; and aunt and uncle, Mae and Mike Slaton, preceded Iris in death. Survivors include her daughter, Lynne Fritsche and husband Dennis of Plano, Texas; two grandsons, John Michael Fritsche and Steven Andrew Fritsche; two nieces and one nephew. The family will receive friends from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, December 23, at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road in Abilene. Private family graveside rites will be in Elmwood Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to West Texas Rehabilitation Center, 4601 Hartford, Abilene, TX 79605.