Obituary of Dolores Jean Walker

As we gather to celebrate the life of Grandma Dolores, we remember we all come with different values, beliefs and memories. I hope these encouraging words and memories will help you during this very difficult time. There are many different ways of telling our stories of Grandma, but the one thing that can bring us together today is love and the love we share for her.

“Love as powerful as your mothers’ for you leaves its own mark. To have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.” — J.K. Rowling

Grandma was the personification of true love. A love that did not expect anything in return. She had no lessons in the art of mothering, it’s something we can only do our best at and hope we do it well, and that’s what she did. She was a caring, supportive, and loving mother, sister, friend, grand and great grandmother. She was the type of woman who would be there to give you money for gas, a ride to the hospital, hold your hand, or even give her shoulder to cry on. That’s who she was, even when we might not have asked for her help, she was there. She was also a passionate person and loved to hold hands with her loved ones. She loved hugs and making people smile with her little faces she made, whether it was sticking her tongue out or scrunching up her face. She was the most generous woman and yet had a little feisty side to her as well. She had a Lincoln that all the kids would call the boat. She wasn’t scared to put the pedal to the metal if she needed to be somewhere fast. Some even recall Grandma getting cut off in traffic and calling them a “cold turd on a stick.”

Grandma was born in Texas in 1935. She was the oldest of 8 children and is survived by 2 siblings, 4 children, 17 grandchildren, 41 great grandchildren and many great, great grandchildren and one son preceded in death. Her father passed away when she was 2 and her mother when she was 54. She lived through World War II with her mom and her siblings. She would share stories about her experiences and one of them was how her and her mother would get rations from the government. They would stand in exceptionally long lines for hours to get sugar, coffee, cheese, meat, and basic household supplies. This would explain why she loved coffee, cheese and Tootsie Rolls so much. She would also share how she would make homemade butter with milk from her goats in the barn with her mother and how she would go collect eggs from her chickens; making sure not to drop any on her way back from her house with her little basket. These challenges helped her become very resilient and gave her the drive to accomplish what she set her mind to.

She was young when she moved from Texas to California. There she met Grandpa Lyle at the age of 15. They were married for 20 years and had 5 children together: Vicky, Eric, Mike, Pamela, and Steve.

Later in life she moved to Manhattan Beach with her youngest children. California turned grandma into a beach bunny of sorts. She loved to put her feet in the water and splash herself but she never went too far, because she never learned to swim. Some days she would stay at the beach from sun up till sundown and she would walk with her children to get Zeppi‘s pizza and drinks. Then she would head back to the beach to soak up some more sun. Grandma made many friends everywhere she went including a seamstress who made custom bikinis for her right there in Hermosa Beach.

Grandma worked as a waitress at the Jolly Rogers for many years before getting a career with the Health and Welfare Office in Los Angeles. She loved being a secretary for the chief because she loved to help people. During her time working there she met my grandpa John, and they were together for 20 years. She spent a lot of time in traffic commuting from LA to Whittier to go to work and after 20 years of service she retired and moved to Modesto, California to get away from the traffic.

In 1998, grandma moved to Idaho to be closer to her children. She started working at the Broadmore Country Club in Nampa. She worked there for many years until she retired for good in 2008. During her time there, she developed close friendships with Tish and Bergetta, who would make her favorite breakfast every day that she worked: fried potatoes with a side of sour cream and butter, scrambled eggs with extra cheese on top, green tabasco sauce, crispy bacon and an English muffin. The three of them would play in the football pools at work. The 49ers were her favorite team, aside from her son and grandchildren’s team. She loved to watch them play. On the weekends, these ladies would head to Jackpot Casino to play some poker. She loved to play poker! Grandma was the queen at the poker table. I even remember when we were playing Texas Hold ‘Em, my husband Jet and Grandma were the last ones standing, and of course, she won.

Another fond memory of grandma was that she loved to go to the drive-in theater. On the way she would drive to KFC and grab a bucket of chicken. Her and her children would lay in the back of the station wagon with blankets and pillows snuggled up together watching movies. This is one tradition she passed down to my mom.

She was also an avid dancer, and more specifically a very good swing dancer. She enjoyed going out dancing with Vicki, Eric and her sister, Charlene. My mom would share stories of how Grandma would put a towel around the refrigerator door and with the music up, she would practice her dancing skills, turning and spinning around with that towel. She made it look so easy.

I personally remember she always had the same shade of pink lipstick she wore. Any time I’d take her out, she’d always make sure to have her lipstick with her, even if it was a simple trip to the store.

Of all these memories, what she’d want us to take away from her life is that she loved the family time we shared together. Whether it was having breakfast together, enjoying BBQ’s, watching our water balloon fights, partaking in game night, or being at all the holiday get-togethers, she loved being around her family and friends.

As I conclude this journey of a loving and giving woman, let’s appreciate the legacy and heart-felt memories she leaves with our hearts and spirits. Her life is a treasure to remember. She taught us what is really important in life: to support, care, and to love our family and friends. We are all better off to have shared this life with her. It was a great privilege to be one of the many lives impacted by her love. Thank you once again for supporting our family.