Dois Dallas

Former Alaska resident Dr. Dois Deleware Dallas, 88, died peacefully in his sleep at his winter residence in Casa Grande, Ariz., Saturday morning, March 12, 2011. He was in good health.

Dois was the fourth child of 11 born to Harry H. and Cora Dee (Edwards) Dallas,

March 4, 1923, at Caprock, N.M. Dois graduated from Tatum High School. He attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces from 1940 until he was drafted in 1943. He earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from NMSU in 1948; and a master's degree in math from Eastern New Mexico University in 1950.

He served during World War II in Europe as a first lieutenant in France and Germany. He said at his 88th birthday party: "The best thing that ever happened was, because I was injured in a parachute jump, I was sent to the Army Hospital in Carlisle, Pa., where I met Dorothy, a beautiful Norwegian lab tech who took my blood. The rest is history."

Dois married Dorothy Elaine "Dottie" Fjerstad of Rochester, Minn., at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Clovis, N.M., on Oct. 28, 1948.

In 1951, the Clarence Iverson exploratory well at Tioga N.D., was confirmed a good producer. Dois moved his family to North Dakota in 1952. He could still cite the exact range and township, when wells were drilled, who drilled them, who owned the farm land, and what kind of production occurred through March 11, his last full day of life.

In 1974, Dois accepted the position of coordinator for petroleum technology with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He then completed his Ph.D. in petroleum engineering with Century University. Dois retired from UAF in 1985; but never retired from his work with mineral rights and oil in North Dakota.

Dois loved his family above all.

Dois is survived by his wife of 62 years, Dorothy Dallas of Casa Grande, Ariz.; daughter, Linda Sharp (husband James) of Ajo, Ariz., and Anchorage; and granddaughters, Molly Sharp of Ajo, Ariz., and Anchorage and Cora Doner (husband Peter) of Palmer; daughter, Monica Dallas and grandchildren, Jennifer and Eric Court, all of Fairbanks; daughter, Cynthia Shilling (husband Ben) and grandchildren, Kelsey and Adam Shilling, all of Fairbanks; daughter, Debora Dallas (husband Ed Rivera) of Fairbanks; son, Mark Dallas (wife Nancy Tervo) and granddaughter, Karlee Tervo Dallas of San Carlos, Calif. He is also survived by five siblings and their families.

A memorial service was held at The Garnet in Casa Grande, Ariz., at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 17, 2011. Interment was at 2:30 p.m. at the Arizona Veteran's Memorial Park, 23029 Cave Creek Road in Phoenix.

Friends can leave a message at the family's online guestbook at http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/doisdallas/homepage.aspx