Obituary of Dorothy Mae Paseka

As a testament, God made a strong woman. She was born Dorothy Mae Erickson in Denver, Colorado on August 29, 1932. Her parents were Albert (Slim) and Margret Mae. Six years later they added Robert Leonard Erickson to the family as well. Oh! The stories she would tell about her growing-up years had me in stitches. I remember her telling me how she didn't really think her little brother was necessary to the family and so she deposited him in the wood box, waiting for her mother to throw him into the fire with the other logs! Despite having a strict, albeit kind, father who towered over her, she continued to play pranks. She related another story that happened when she was an older teen… she and a friend had gone out for an evening. During the outing, a young man of her acquaintance made a few modest, although unwelcome advances. Quietly, she persuaded her friend to leave and go with her...to the parking lot. There she proceeded to cross the wires of the battery on this young man's truck then jumped behind some bushes to watch the fun! In 1952, Dorothy married David Anthony. To this union were born five beautiful girls. In the order that they appeared: Elizabeth May, Linda Louise, Viola Jane, Margo Diane and Lisa Marie. The family settled down on a little farm in Iowa. Unfortunately, the marriage ended in 1967 and Dorothy brought her five girls here to Washington. Enter Prince Charming. In 1975, Dorothy married Archie R. Paseka Sr. This addition brought the family total to eight as the oldest daughter was already married and the groom brought two of his children (Archie Rudy Jr. and Mabile Irene) to join the new family. They bought a beautiful, three-story home in North Tacoma and the whole troupe moved in. Dorothy planted a lovely and fragrant rose garden under the kitchen window. Some of my first memories of scent are from the times I would stand in the rose garden and inhale the sun on the blossoms. Dorothy was famous for her "green thumb". She loved gardens, flowers, sunshine (in fact, some of her grandchildren called her "Grandma Sunshine"), trees, anything to do with growing things. Together with Archie, she turned the yard of their new home into a beautiful, picturesque paradise. This she also did to her next house in Silverdale, Washington which the couple purchased after their children had grown and gone. This house was smaller, but the yard was bigger and Dorothy took full advantage of the fact. Whenever you would visit, you could enjoy the bounty of their hard work. Whether it was fresh strawberries from the wall of tires they built and planted the fruit in or huge, gorgeous blossoms of her rhododendron collection. Every year, she had a competition with one of her daughters to see whose lilacs would bloom first and which flowers were a more vibrant color, more fragrant, and had more volume. Dorothy's life was not easy. She dealt with many struggles, health complications (hers and others), death, tragic accidents and with the sheer size of her family there was bound to be troubles at times. But this was one lady that you didn't want to mess with. She bore an air of authority with such confidence that most people didn't even question her right to do so. Those who did question this, found themselves with a monstrous fight on their hands…especially if one of her loved ones was involved. I believe that she took her role of "mother" very seriously, which doesn't happen without a dressing down of family members at times. Being a part of Dorothy's family was cherished by some, tolerated by some, coveted by others. Dorothy had a generous heart and her hospitality was unparalleled. She was a member in good standing with every church she attended. Her church attendance and appearance was very important to her. She served on many committees, contributing her time, talents, and experience for the good of others. Her blessings were something she didn't take for granted and her mind was frequently occupied with those who were less fortunate. Crocheting, knitting, sewing, embroidery, quilting...was there any craft she couldn't do once she tried? Not only did she excel at producing clothing and bedding delights, she also passed these talents on to her daughters who have become masters of some of the same skills and in turn, passed them on to some of their children. In 2010, Dorothy had her first bout with cancer. Thus began a long, hard journey of surgeries, complications (including her diabetes, which had been a struggle for many years at that point), radiation, chemotherapy, etc. until the cancer finally went into remission. Dorothy and Archie lived first with her eldest daughter, then after eighteen months, moved in with their second-to-youngest daughter. After Archie passed away two years ago, Dorothy moved in with a third daughter. When the cancer reappeared this time, Dorothy decided not to fight it. The journey had been hard and she was tired. The rest of her time was spent with her family, dreaming of the time when she would be reunited with her beloved husband and set free from the pain she was enduring. Those dreams were fulfilled when she took her last breath on July 7, 2013. As you might have guessed by now, Dorothy was my grandmother. I am her second oldest granddaughter and am so grateful for that position as it has afforded me many, many memories of her. The legacy Grandma left, lives on in each of her family members and the lessons she taught us. We would not be the people we are today without her influence. She was strong and now we, with her example and our own relationships with Jesus Christ, continue to be strong. On behalf of my family, I'd like to invite you to a celebration of Dorothy M. Paseka's life. The service will be held on August 29, 2013 at Central, The Church on the Hill (5000 67th Ave. W. University Place, WA 98467-2238) at six o'clock in the evening. If you would care to join us for the serivce and reception, please bring a favorite dish to share. Thank you for your thoughts, sympathy and prayers. We look forward to seeing you and rejoicing together in God's grace.