Doris Dooley

1927 - 2023

Do (Doris) Dooley passed away on December 22, 2023 in Visalia, California. She was born Doris Louise Champlin on July 18, 1927 in Taft, California but was called Dodo by her favorite Uncle Ted very early and the nickname "Do" was all she ever used. She lived, and loved, her life in Kings and Tulare Counties raising her family and actively working to improve the lives of others. She was an avid reader and always curious about the wider world. She served on the PTA, the Kings County School Attendance Review Board (SARB) and for 12 years in two separate six-year terms on the board of Self-Help Enterprises.

Do married her childhood friend and later sweetheart, Dick Dooley in 1946 just days after he returned from his Army service in the Pacific at the end of World War II. They farmed together and in 1973 bought property in the southern Sierra east of Springville. They built their mountain home themselves the next summer and soon became part of the Pierpoint crowd. When Do lost Dick in 2019 and then their beloved cabin and land in the Sequoia Complex fire in 2020, it was the beginning of the end of a long life well lived.

Do was preceded in death by her husband of 73 years, Dick Dooley, her parents, Jane and Cal Champlin, and her brothers, Calvin (Bud) Champlin and Karl Champlin. She is survived by her sister, Helen Headrick, her three children, Dan Dooley (Diana), Cal Dooley (Linda), and Cindy Bettencourt (Ken), seven grandchildren and 12 great grands. In lieu of flowers, donation can be made to the Do Dooley Scholarship Fund at Self-Help Enterprises, CASA of Tulare County or a charity of choice.