Dora Lee Wells

Dora Lee Wells Wenatchee, Washington Our mom, Dora Lee Wells, age 80, entered into Heaven on Sunday, April 27, 2014. She passed away at Bonaventure Senior Living in East Wenatchee one week after suffering a severe stroke. She was born Dora Lee Lendermon on August 19, 1933, in Beebe, Arkansas, the fourth child in a family of nine children. At the age of eleven, her mother tragically died of tuberculosis, and, as the oldest daughter, the household and child care responsibilities were thrust upon her. She became "Momma" to the two youngest boys, Doug and Russell, ages 2 and 3. Some three years after the death of her mother, her father remarried and brought three more children into the family. At Beebe High School, mom was a homecoming princess and a standout basketball player. She became a teller in a local bank after graduating from high school and through this job she met our dad, Tillman Wells, who was then a handsome young basketball player at the community college. They married, had three children, and in 1959 migrated to Wenatchee, Washington, where another daughter was added to the family. Mom continued her banking career in Wenatchee, working at Seattle-First National Bank and then Central Washington Bank where she was promoted to manager of the downtown branch. Mom ended her long and satisfying banking career in 1996 and began years of community service in providing transportation for cancer patients, working in the hospital gift shop, and volunteering at the senior center. Mom and dad were physically active all of their lives. They played city softball for many years and later their interests turned to golf where in 1989 mom won the Club Championship in the Sundowner's Golf Club at Three Lakes Golf Course. Mom and dad accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in 1966 at a Sunday evening church service and were baptized in the Wenatchee Valley Baptist Church the following week. Eventually mom transferred her membership to Eastmont Baptist Church where she was an active member and had close relationships with the women in her Sunday School class . Mom had a fun and joyful spirit. She always had a smile on her face and a joke or two at the ready. Her children were proud of their mother's natural beauty and blessed by her unconditional love and devotion. We marvel at how her life that began in a poor rural Arkansas town progressed to one that included a close-knit family of six, loving relationships with extended family both near and far, a long and successful banking career, and a rich retirement filled with fun, leisure, and altruism. Mom treasured her large circle of girlfriends that included a sister-like relationship with her very, very special friend, Carol Benson. Nine grandchildren and two great-granddaughters were the light of our parents' lives. Dad and mom seldom missed a ball game, dance recital, awards assembly, or graduation! Everyone could see the special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. Mom was preceded in death by her parents, stepmother, two infant sisters, three brothers, and her husband of 58 years, Tillman Wells, who passed away in 2013. She is survived by her children, Joy (Greg) Brown of Wenatchee, Carol (Kevin) Bredesen of Richland, Dan (Tami) Wells of Woodinville, and Marcia (Ted) Smith of Peshastin; her grandchildren, Kyle (Katherine) Peterson, Eric (Allison) Peterson, Brett Peterson, Shayne (Ryan) Bredesen Stroud, James Wells, Ericka Winston Wells, Stacy Smith, Rae Ann Smith, Tori Smith; and great-granddaughters, Stella Peterson and Kerris Stroud. She is also survived by siblings, Earnestene Craven of Tennessee and Patsy (Ken) Clay, Russell (Kaye) Lendermon, and Doug (Diana) Lendermon of Arkansas. A memorial service and luncheon for our mom, Dora Lee Wells, will be held on Friday, May 2, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. at Eastmont Baptist Church, 400 South Kentucky Street, East Wenatchee. Telford's Chapel of the Valley is assisting with arrangements. The family would like to thank Dr. Stephen Voorhies; Karl Lambert, PAC; and the staffs at Columbia Heights and Bonaventure Senior Living and Memory Care, and Hospice for their care and compassion and the many courtesies extended to us. If you would like to make a donation in Dora Wells' memory, the family would suggest a donation to Hospice at www.hospicencw.org or the Alzheimer's Foundation at www.alzfdn.org. Dora's family will be forever thankful for the loving and thoughtful support they have received while caring for both parents as they declined over the past five years. Though they shed tears, they have hope and joy that their mom and dad have been reunited in Glory and that both have found rest and restoration in the loving arms of Jesus Christ.

Dora Lee Wells

August 19, 1933 - April 27, 2014