Delores "Dee" Golliver (Didrickson)

On May 26, 2025, in the late evening hours our Matriarch of the family Delores "Dee" (Didrickson) Golliver passed away at the age of 82 in her home in Mount Vernon, Washington surrounded by her family. She was born in Sitka, Alaska to Alexander Didrickson and Irene (Williams) Didrickson on September 5, 1942. She will always be remembered for her generosity towards others and love of bingo, but most of all for her friendship, infectious laugh, and dedication to her family.

Dee grew up in Sitka, AK where she lost her father at a very young age due to a boat accident in the Pacific. Eventually she and several of her siblings were sent to a residential boarding school for native children in Skagway, AK. She was a proud member of the Tlingit Tribe of Alaska in Sitka. They spent several years there until eventually rejoining her mother, stepfather, and younger siblings in Anacortes, WA.

It was there in Anacortes that her life would be forever changed when her future husband Elmer "Al" Golliver was stationed at the Navy base in Oak Harbor and got lost one day across Deception Pass Bridge with his friend. There he found himself in Anacortes where he happened to spot the woman, he immediately told his friend that she was the one he was going to marry someday. He asked her to marry him the next day, and despite thinking he was crazy they had been together ever since and were married 62 years before Al's death in 2022. Dee and Al met in November of 1959, and they wed on March 4, 1960. They raised 6 children together, welcomed 13 grandchildren, and a growing generation of great grandchildren that they both loved dearly.

Dee had a strong work ethic and a very friendly outgoing personality which served her well in her various occupations throughout her life. Those jobs included managing the Ship Harbor Inn in Anacortes with her husband Al, a hostess at Swinomish Northern Lights Casino when it first opened, and a CNA at both Mountain Glen Retirement Community and Life Care Center of Mount Vernon. She especially loved her job as a CNA for many years where she made numerous friends and had many patients, she was very fond of as she helped care for them until her eventual retirement.

Always the social butterfly, some of Dee's favorite pastimes were playing bingo and slots at the casinos, spending time with her friends, taking scenic drives around the county with her husband Al, and going shopping and visiting with the employees she saw regularly. Some of her other hobbies included watching her favorite tv shows, sewing baby blankets and crocheting afghans for others, thrifting, reading many books including ones by her favorite author Stephen King, and solving word search puzzles. She is also well known for her love of Pepsi and the amazing salads she would often make for home and family gatherings.
Dee was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Elmer "Al" Golliver; her father, Alex Didrickson; her mother, Irene (Williams) Didrickson; her brothers, Ditlef "Rich" Didrickson Sr. and his wife Nancy Didrickson, Chris "Buddy" Didrickson, and Alex "Butch" Didrickson; her sisters, Bernadine "Bee" Marshall and Sharon Didrickson; her Uncle Herb Didrickson Sr. and his wife Pollyanna Didrickson; her Uncle Robert "Bob" Johnston and his wife Norma Johnston; and her cousins, Boyd William Didrickson and Donald Charles "Duck" Didrickson.
She is survived by her children: Sandra, Roxanne, Michael, Christine and her husband Anthony, Richard and his wife Carrie, and Lisa; her grandchildren: Kristen, Timothy, Zachary, McKinnon, Quinton, Cheyenne, Raven, Nicholas, Carly, Matthew, Skye, Nicole, and Shannon; and numerous cherished great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, extended family, and dear friends.
There will be a celebration of Dee's life at a later date to spread her ashes. In lieu of flowers, you may donate to the Hospice of the Northwest in Delores Golliver's name.