OBITUARY FOR DOLORES RUTH
(CHESTER) AMADOR
September 5,1930-
December 12, 2014
Dolores Ruth (Chester) Amador, known as Dolores to her family and
friends, was born in Seattle, Washington on September 5,
1930. She passed away at her residence in Oakley, California
on December 12, 2014. She was just over 84 years of
age.
She is survived by her loving children, Donald (Ellen) Amador of
Oakley, CA & Darla Amador of Napa, California and her two grandsons;
Jonathan & Thomas Amador of Oakley, California.
She is survived by a cousin Dwight Weiding (Cindy) of Maui,
Hawaii. She also has several cousins in Norway and Sweden.
She is also survived by Nieces and Nephews:
Sharon (Jack) Motl of Mt.
Vernon, Washington;
Linda (Bruce) Whitman of Tonasket, Washington;
Richard (Kathryn) Chester, Jr. of Snohomish, Washington;
Darlene Kenny of Seattle, Washington;
Matthew (Joyce) Chester of Edmonds, Washington;
Vicki Castalin of Oregon state;
Sharon Castalin of Stockton, California
along with 11 great nieces and nephews
and 5 great-great nieces and nephews.
Dolores is survived by her sister-in-law (Daniel's sister)
Margaret Garcia (Ray) of Jamestown, CA.
She is also survived by her daughter-in-law's parents: Dr. and
Mrs. J. Gene and Esther Zimmerman of Antioch, California and by her
daughter-in-law's brothers: Dave, Ed and Dan Zimmerman and their families.
Dolores was preceded in death by her father & mother, Elias
& Ruth Chester, her sister Eleanor Chester (at age 20, who died when
Dolores was only 12); her brother, Dick Chester and her husband, Daniel Amador.
+ + +
Dolores' parents were from (Dad) Norway and (Mom) was both
Norwegian and Swedish. Her mother was born in America but her father
entered this country as an immigrant through Ellis Island in the early 1900's.
Dad was a fisherman who worked from San Francisco to and Alaska; Tuna to
Salmon to Cod to Halibut. He even got a whale (the picture is
available on request, wanna see the eardrum? You can!)
She spent her summers at the family vacation home on Vashon Island
in Puget Sound. This began her love of the water. She often went out in the
rowboat by herself. Both her father and brother, Dick, were Captains
of ocean going vessels.
Her family moved to Eureka in the early 1940's, at the urging of
her brother Dick. After a few years Dick and his family moved
back to Seattle. But Dolores and her parents remained in
California. That was her Junior Year in High School.
Dolores love for the piano and music started in
elementary school. There was a piano teacher, Prof. Risogari, at the
University of Washington in Seattle that never taught children....but he
consented to teach her. The lessons were 1/2 hour...and she
mostly listened to him play. He would talk about imaging
forests and musical movement - "You must move with feeling toward the
goal...with feeling...softer to louder." She
learned to read notation and was known for playing energetically with
feeling. She was a great pianist!
With her piano talent, she was in demand to play for the choir at
school. But her faith was firm that she couldn't play on Sabbath
days. At first the director said "You can't play
then."...but later, when she heard her play...she relented. Her
talent spoke for itself!
The following year, Dolores' senior year, her mother wanted her to
finish in a Christian school. So it was off to be a dorm student in
Lodi, California at the Adventist Academy, where she graduated.
After that, she took some college work at the business college in
Eureka, California. One of her fist jobs was a
"candler" - holding chicken eggs up to a light to see if they had a
fertilized chick growing inside. She lost a job in early life for
being honest and upfront in her dealings...and she said it was the only way to
live. Another job was at the Dolly Vardon Lumber Company, as the
receptionist and dispatcher. For years, her happy voice answered
the phone "Dolly Vardon Lumber Company". And she always
advocated for a cheerful voice over the phone or communicating with the truck
drivers.
While
in Eureka one night while she was out with friends, she noticed an acquaintance
of her sitting at the end of the bar. He looked quite
sad. (he had reason to be - his wife and child had both died in her
childbirth.) So...she went over and said hello, and as Dolores put
it...." we were together ever since." That man was
Dan Amador. And they enjoyed 45 years of marriage from 1953 to
1998.
Dan
was in construction, working as an Operating Engineer for Local #3 for 35
years. They were together up until Dan's death in March
of 1998.
Dan
never joined the Seventh-day Adventist church, but was supportive of Dolores'
desire to have their two children have a Christian Education
. Initially opposed to it because of the cost, he later supported
the project. (We know Dolores also wouldn't take "No" for
an answer.) Dolores also worked to meet the tuition - both at
school in Eureka, and at Rio Lindo Academy. Dan was always very proud to
say his children were in private Christian school He wrote a heartfelt
letter saying how proud he was of both his children, which Darla has and
treasures to this day.
When
her children were in school, she often helped with school field trips and
school plays. Darla will never forget her 16th birthday party –
there was a terrible ferocious storm that day, that did not stop Dolores!! She had planned a surprise party on the
campus for Darla and many of her friends. It was the only time Darla was ever
surprised!!!
Dolores
joined the Adventist Church, having been raised by an Adventist
mother. Dolores’s grandmother, Ada Berg, was Swedish, and was saved
through the ministry of the Salvation Army. Ada and Ruth, Dolores’s
mother, set an example of Godliness in their lives and homes.
Dolores was a great daughter too: After Dolores and Dan
were married it wasn't long until Dan invited Ruth to live with
them. Darla and Don recall the blessings of having grandma
live with them. Darla says "Grandma kept house and
cooked: Chocolate cookies, Swedish pancakes, Chocolate pie,
Blackberry pie. Homemade bread every Thursday. Every meal was a home cooked
meal. .
This mentoring.... was reproduced in Dolores' life...living near
Don and Ellen for the last 30 years or so. Dolores was a super grandma to her
two grandsons.
So...A woman who never had a grandma....made sure she would be a
super grandma to her children... and so she was!
Summer wasn’t complete without a trip to Seattle without a trip to
her brother’s beach house on Hoods Canal near Seattle. Those
trips to the beach were memorable, fun, and treasured by her children, Don and
Darla. Dolores would also take the kids to the local beaches, Moon
Stone Beach and Table Bluff. They also
enjoyed visiting local state parks, Patrick’s Point and Richardson’s Grove.
Because Dolores loved and played music, she also made sure her
children had music lessons: Piano and Trumpet for Don. Piano for
Darla. They see this training as one of Mom's greatest gifts
in their lives. Dolores also taught her grandsons how to play
the piano.
Her love and talent for music opened many doors for her as a
pianist and a vocalist. She sang in a triple trio in High
School. Music, she said, was her "moment of silence" each
day. It was a space in time where she could listen and feel -
a personal retreat with just herself and the sounds.
She was active in the music program at the Eureka Seventh Day
Adventist Church where she was the church pianist, helped with the choir, and
often performed special music. She loved gospel music and the
traditional Christian hymns.
She attended as many gospel concerts as she was able
to. She loved the concerts by "Up With People" and
"The Heritage Singers." Later in life, Darla and
Dolores enjoyed sharing many hours watching Gaither Homecoming
videos..
Dolores loved the holidays with family. Christmas time
was always a very special time in her home. She was a fabulous cook and baker,
and everyone loved to eat her dishes.
Many nights were spent making the traditional Scandinavian foods
before Christmas. Rullepolse: rolled spiced curried Lamb, Swedish
Coffee Bread: sweet bread with cardamom, Pepparkaka: very thin rolled
Ginger Cookie (a dough really hard to roll)
She loved to see how happy this made her
family. It was a very festive time for one and all. She
also loved to make a person feel "Special" at birthday parties making
that day memorable for everyone! Her niece, Darlene,
loved coming for her birthday in July many many times. This year,
2014, Darlene made 3 trips down from Seattle just to see Auntie Dorie! Dolores
loved Darlene like a daughter. On her
last visit, Dolores was able to say a heartfelt
"I love you." and "Thank you."
When the kids went off to Rio Lindo Academy in the early 1970s,
Dolores traveled around town or went on trips with her dogs sitting either on
her lap or in the front passenger seat. She always loved dogs
and would have at least 2 with her. Later in life, she began a love
of cats when she started helping take care of her daughter's cats. She adopted
a cat - “Bootsie” - that was her constant companion in her later
years. Bootsie even accompanied her as resident of Eskaton, an assisted living
community!
In the 60’s, Dolores was an award winning saleswoman for
Coppercraft Guild (In home Copper Decor) and Home Interiors during the
1970s. She also was a wonderful seamstress making most of her own
clothes, and many of the kids clothes. From her interior decorating training
she learned to be particular about "Mirror
Placement" She said "It is important that the mirror
reflect beauty." So a mirror was located where it could
reflect more than just the refrigerator! And Darla today...has many
mirrors in her home to make it look bigger and more beautiful - because Dolores
liked mirrors too. More mirrors!
In the early 80s, Dolores traveled to Norway to visit her
families’ homes with her daughter, Darla, and her niece, Darlene. The
three of them developed a special bond and memories with their family in
Norway. It was her wish that she could
have visited Sweden, but never made it.
Shortly after that trip, Dolores and Dan moved to Oakley to be
nearer to his new job with Ford Construction in Lodi and near their kids and
grandkids living in the Bay Area. Darla also encouraged them to move to be near
their grandchildren.
Dolores loved being with her grandsons, Jonathan and Thomas, and
would often pick them up from the Hilltop Christian Church School, then located
on Worrell Road. She would take them on trips to the store or park,
stopping to get them a treat on the way home. Jonathan and
Thomas remember the Swedish Pancakes she made...(memorably made with a whole
stick of butter.) She loved attending their piano recitals and
school programs. She loved "spoiling" her grandsons and
even bought her own video game system so the boys could play their favorites
after school at her house. She became quite super at playing the Super Nintendo
video games with her grandsons.
In retirement: She and Dan would go trailer camping in their 32'
travel trailer. There were also many trips with her family through
the years: A trip to Minnesota to visit an Aunt; trips to
Disneyland, and other fun places. Summers were her time to be with
her children, and later grandchildren.
Dolores and Darla were the best of friends, and enjoyed everything
from cooking to shopping together and talking several times a day on the phone!
Darla will cherish those memories
forever!
Dolores was also a great gardener. She always
loved growing flowers and working in the soil. In Eureka, she had a
greenhouse, and would do her own cuttings and start new plants.
Since 1998, she was without her beloved husband...but she enjoyed
many happy occasions with her family.
Then
came these past years of decline, where she dealt with grace and courage the
complex infirmities of Parkinson's Disease, with it's accompanying
stiffness. Her eyesight faded too. She moved
from independent living to assisted living to extended
care. And yet, she kept her love for living and
laughter. She became even more outgoing and flamboyant in her
communal living arrangements. She really did enjoy making the
other people happy by what she said or did...or what she wore! Darla never
missed and extended weekend stay in Oakley to visit her mother. Some one once commented to Dolores that,”
there’s a special place in heaven for daughters like yours”
God, by His sovereign grace, has laid Dolores to
rest. She has entered the temporary sleep of death. Soon,
Jesus will come and call her forth to everlasting life in heaven and on the
earth made new. It is the reality of the truth of the resurrection
of the dead that gives hope and comfort to us today.
Our
lives have been enriched because we have loved and have been loved by Dolores
Amador. She has been a Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother, Grandma,
Niece, Aunt and Friend! He enriched the lives of so many people and she will be
truly missed. We place our hope in the resurrection and the reunion
that awaits us all in heaven. May God bless us with His comfort and
His peace this hour.
Prepared by Don and Darla Amador
with O. Kris Widmer
