Dora Norene Gabelein

Dora Norene Gabelein passed away at the age of 91 Nov. 25, 2014. She was born in Bayard, Neb., to Clarence and Maude Mellroth, the fifth of 10 children. She came to Washington with her family because the beet farm blew away in the Dust Bowl.

Not long after arriving at Whidbey Island, she met Arthur “Johnny” Gabelein, the man who would become her husband of 57 years. They spent almost all of those years on the Bayview hillside within sight of the place Johnny had been born. Together they had three children, Barbara, Richard “Dick” and Cathy.

She was the first in her family to graduate from high school, but she never stopped learning. She had an amazing ability for reproducing any stitch or needlework she saw. She taught herself all of the bookkeeping required for Johnny’s businesses and balanced those demands with the things she enjoyed: gardening, baking, sewing and being “Grama.”

In her time, people “made do.” She fed her family on vegetables she grew in her garden, her amazing homemade bread, and deer meat that she butchered and canned over a wood-fired cook stove. If you stopped to visit and Dora wasn’t outside in the garden or at the table sewing, she was probably in the kitchen making cinnamon rolls.

Seattle sports teams, classic country music and John Wayne were a few things Dora loved. Her sweet, quiet nature made her competitive streak a surprise. She loved card games and board games and would leave ironing or dishes for later in order to play with her grandkids. Throughout her life, she was “with it,” keeping up with news and trends.

Dora was a peacekeeper, full of sparkle and wit. She never complained and was always looking out for others. She will be remembered for her integrity, determination and compassion. Dora was greatly loved by her children Barbara (Joe) Sires, Cathy Burton, Dick (Jimi) Gabelein; grandchildren Sandy (Keith) Kraha, Ron (Lori) Sires, Pam (Todd) Brager, Brad Burton, Darci (Kenneth) Manwiller, Kim Garrick (Scott Deckwa), Kelli Gabelein (Bob Suntjer), and Jeff (Misty) Gabelein; and great-grandchildren.

Her memorial will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at Maple Ridge in Freeland. If you wish, wear black or plaid because she loved Johnny Cash, and she loved her logger Johnny. Memorial donations can be made to the Deming Log Show or the Maple Ridge Activity Fund.