Doris Janette "Dode" Whitaker

Doris Janette Whitaker was born on June 10, 1937, to Ben and Ardath Sundvik in Olympia, WA.

Doris, known to many and most as Dode, surrounded by her sons, took her final breath on Earth and departed for heaven on January 2, 2026.

A daughter, first, to Ben and Ardath; a sister (and don't forget a middle child) to Dick, Norma (Dick) and Alice (Gordon); a mom to Dean (Laurel), Doug (Debbie), Dirk (Maxine) and Darrell. She was "Gramma Dode" to Brynn, Nick, Teryn, Ben, Dirk II, Kaily and Brittney, and "Great Gramma Dode" to Haylie, Landon, Nora and Beau.

Her memorable childhood was happily, sometimes grudgingly, filled with the responsibilities of a farm hand; helping to hay the fields, weeding the garden, and picking fruit and berries for canning, only to name a few.

Similarly to her children and a handful of her grandchildren, Dode proudly attended Olympia High School. As a young and graduated woman, she became part of a sorority where she formed life-long friendships, helped donate to charities and found incredible support in other strong women.

She fell in love at a young age and married a military man which temporarily uprooted her to Barstow, CA, where she gave birth to her first son, Dean. Upon moving her family back to Olympia, along came Doug, Dirk and Darrell shortly in the following years.

She proudly raised her four sons there, while settled comfortably next to her beloved parents, Poppa and Grams. According to her stories, there was never a dull moment on Hoffman Road; acres of hay fields, an apple orchard, greenhouses, lush woods… plenty of room and opportunity for them to run wild and get into mischief. She would close her eyes and slowly shake her head from side to side with a small smile if you were to remind her of their shenanigans growing up. Her greatest pride and joy in life were her four boys.

Her home offered memorable gatherings, especially at Christmastime. A magnificent tree decorated with strands of twinkling blue lights and collected ornaments, beautifully wrapped gifts filling the entire living room stacked from the floor to the ceiling, and a pantry bursting with favored goodies and treats for all who entered, time after time.

After raising her sons, she moved to a quainter house with a smaller yard (and less weeds to tend to), where she was able to have the space she deserved and desired, spotlessly clean and organized at all times. Her walls were filled with cherished photos, her washer and dryer constantly humming and producing fresh clean linens, shelves full of trinkets and souvenirs from her numerous travels and road trips with her good friend Carol, cute little "lambies" decorating almost everywhere you glanced, an entire room dedicated to her photos and albums from her adventures, a welcoming and comfortable living room… a safe space that was suitable just for her. Her door was always graciously open for visitors; often to her grandchildren who would excitedly come for sleepovers.

She spent the last few years in a small apartment at The Sequoia where her door continued to remain open to others and the scent of clean laundry and vanilla still lingered; she met more good friends that she enjoyed playing cards against and battling puzzles with. Her candy dish stayed full for staff and visitors. Her generosity never faltered.

Dode was the cruiser of a silver Lincoln Continental Town Car, the passionate avid reader of romance novels, the collector of all things lamb, a one-of-a-kind photographer, the most generous human you'll ever meet and the kindest soul towards all who encountered her.

We hold onto our precious memories with her and the countless occasions she showed up for; birthdays, graduations, celebrations, weddings, sporting events, get-togethers, vacations… she would come walking through the door, feathering and fixing her bangs across her forehead with her braided ponytail swinging behind her, sunglasses on, purse over one shoulder, smiling from ear-to-ear with a can of diet Pepsi in one hand, her camera in the other and tissues tucked in her pocket for any moment.

She was and will always remain a light in our lives; always encouraging, always supportive, and would have gone to the ends of the Earth and back for anyone in her family or anyone she cared for. She constantly and consistently showed up for others, without ever expecting anything back in return. Her love and devotion to her family knew no limits.

She will remain forever in our hearts and in our memories; in her love for the color blue whenever we see it, in the plush soft lambs held gently in our hands, in our future gatherings as families, in the Lefse we eat for dessert, and in the hanging baskets full of blooming fuchsias during summertime.

To know Dode was to love Dode. Her generous spirit, kind heart, her honesty and her love will all remain with us forever and ever. We are all so incredibly fortunate that we were blessed enough to have her as our "Gramma Dode."

A service date and time to be determined at a later date.