Dora Lorene Dickinson's Obituary
Dora Lorene Dickinson née Nelson died peacefully at Stanford Hospital on February 1, 2016, in Palo Alto, California, at the age of 96 years, 8 months, and 24 days.Dora is survived by her two children, Barbara (Ronald) Green of Lincoln, California, and Frank (Paula) Dickinson of Redwood City, California; 2 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, and their children. She is preceded in death by her husband Richard (1916-2008), her parents, her sisters, and her grandson, Curtis Dickinson (1978-2003).Dora was born on May 7, 1919, in Denver, Colorado, to Albert and Pearl Nelson, the first of three daughters. She attended Denver area public schools and graduated from Manual Training High School in 1937. She married Richard Dickinson on June 6, 1942. After Richard began working for United Airlines in the radio shop, they moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where the couple welcomed two children into their home. In 1948, when United moved the maintenance shop to San Francisco, the family moved to Redwood City, where they lived until 1955. Needing a larger house, they found one in a quiet neighborhood on Oakland Avenue in Menlo Park, where they made many friends during the years they lived there. Dora worked for J.C. Penney, the Credit Bureau, and for the County of San Mateo as a Deputy Clerk from 1961 until her retirement in 1980. As a Deputy Clerk, she was the first lay person in the county to perform marriage ceremonies at the courthouse.After Richard entered assisted living in 2007, Dora lived by herself for the first time. She visited with Richard every day, until his death in June 2008. She continued living in her beautiful home until 2012 when she decided that she needed to move into assisted living.In her younger days, Dora enjoyed a variety of crafts, going to plays, listening to music, and dancing. She also enjoyed her collections of Kewpie dolls, Hummel figures, and a variety of other collectibles. Her children knew her as a person who was sometimes fearful of trying new things, but recently she told a story about her elementary school days, how after school she would go to the top of a hill with her scooter, push off and crouch down so she would go faster and have the wind blow though her hair!Dora was long-time member of the Valparaiso Ward of the Church of Latter-day Saints in Menlo Park and had many friends there.Graveside services only are scheduled for Thursday, February 11, at Skylawn Memorial Park in San Mateo. The family would like to thank the nurses and doctors at Stanford Hospital who were so kind to Dora’s family in her last hours. We would also like to thank the caregivers and staff at Canyon House/Silver Point Plaza in Menlo Park, where Dora lived the last two years. She was loved and cared for by so many there. They are a wonderful and caring group of people.
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