Dolores Maxine Blackwood

Dolores “Dee” Blackwood, 91, passed away at the Odd Fellows Home in Walla Walla, Washington on May 25, 2024.

Dolores Maxine Cherry was born August 18, 1932, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Carl and Opal Cherry. She was raised on farms near Marion and Center Point in Linn County, where her grandfather and father grew field corn and soybeans. Accompanied by her dog Shirley, Dee enjoyed raising an assortment of farm animals, but her kind heart was always saddened when they were sent on to the butcher. She graduated from Alburnett High School in 1950, where she played on the basketball team. Dee earned an RN degree from St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Cedar Rapids, IA. She was named Most Outstanding Student in her graduating class (1953), an honor recognizing her scholarship, professionalism, nursing skills and popularity. Incidentally, her degree only cost her $295 per academic period!

Dolores’ spirit of adventure took her to work as a nurse in Waterloo, IA, then Phoenix, AZ, and finally to California. Dee met her sweetheart, Glenn at the doctor’s office she worked at in Sunnyvale, CA. Their friendship deepened through choir and the Missionary Volunteer youth group at Mountain View SDA Church. Glenn and Dee married July 8th of 1956 in a garden wedding. As an only child, Dee loved the large extended family she married into (Glenn was a twin and the eldest boy of 10 siblings!).

Dee and Glenn continued life’s adventure together, residing in Anchorage, Alaska; Wawona (Yosemite National Park), Watsonville and Soquel on the California Coast, and Cupertino in the Bay Area. Together they reared three children, Steve, Beth, and Tim. The Blackwood family moved to College Place, Washington in 1969, where Glenn built or remodeled homes throughout the valley, and Dee focused on homemaking for her young family. A life-altering car accident in 1982 left her with health issues and chronic pain, but Dee was ever the sweet and cheery optimist. Although she was never able to return to nursing, you may have enjoyed her friendly smile and assistance when she worked part time at the Village Pharmacy in College Place or in the children’s department at Sears. As retail changed over the years, she even worked in the Craftsman tool section! Dolores retired from Sears in 2003. When Glenn finally “retired” from being a “go-to” handy man in 2019, he and Dee moved to the Quail Run Retirement Community in Walla Walla, a Providential move due to the impending pandemic.

Dolores was a devout Seventh Day Adventist and an active member of the Stateline SDA Church. In her younger years, Dee taught Sabbath School in the children’s division, helped with Vacation Bible School and health fairs; later roles included deaconess, greeter, and Sabbath School secretary. In addition, Glenn and Dee were passionate about prison ministries, providing friendship and spiritual guidance to the men incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary; she was a faithful volunteer for more than 25 years.

Dolores loved her Creator and Savior, her family, doting on her grandkids and cat Princess, reading, gardening, watching kitten videos on YouTube, playing Bingo at Odd Fellows, enjoying the blooms and fragrance of Mr. Lincoln and Sunsprite roses, and being a friendly and helpful neighbor.

Dolores was preceded in death by her son Steve (1977) and beloved husband Glenn (November 12, 2023); she is survived by daughter Beth Blackwood (with son-in-law Theo Palmer; Port Ludlow, WA), son Tim Blackwood (Portland, OR), grandson Michael Blackwood (Staunton, VA), granddaughter Kali Palmer (with husband Tam Armstrong; Seattle, WA), brother-in-law Jim Blackwood (Lebanon, OR), Glenn’s twin sister Jane Frye (Paradise, CA), and numerous nieces and nephews.

Friends are invited to sign the guestbook or share a memory on https://www.herringgroseclose.com/obits. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Dee’s memory. https://give.adra.org/

A simple graveside service is to be held on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 11:00 AM, (Mt. Hope Cemetery, College Place). Friends and family are welcome to join us…