It is with a smile and a sadness that we say good-bye to Dorothy Waters. She left us December 28th at age 108, and … 2 months. And she left very peacefully in her sleep. A smile remembering her long and productive years of life. A smile remembering how she never gave up; including taking two days to make apple crisp at 105 because her fingers were so bent with arthritis. And a smile remembering how she never felt sorry for herself and always found … a job to do! Even when she moved to a nursing home at 106 after a fall outside; where she lay for 11 hours all night in the cold … and survived without even catching a cold! She wheeled herself up and down the hall, watched the birds feed, and counted cars going by. She always found something to do. She had a great and fun celebration of her 108th birthday, including two parties and listening to a musical group later that evening.

Dorothy was born in Junction City, Kansas, and graduated from the University of Kansas with a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences, in l932. She majored in Bacteriology. There, she was a member Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity.

After graduation, for 26 years, she was Director of Welfare Services for Mitchell County, Kansas, and lived in Beloit, Kansas, where she married Gene Waters in 1935. They had a son, Gene Robert Waters. He was a mathematics teacher and then taught computer programming in the Phoenix, Arizona area. He died in 1987 of a heart attack.

She was a member of the Beloit Panhellenic Organization as well as the BPW. In the 1969, she and her husband moved to Port Angeles, Washington, bringing the cabin cruiser, "Gypsy Girl," Gene built in an airplane hanger in Kansas, and built a home, of her design, on the bluffs over-looking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

They spent several years boating on the Canadian San Juan seas, making many friends and enjoying fishing. In the winter months, she and Gene lived in Mesa, Arizona, at Goodlife Trailer Park. After Gene's death in 1978, Dorothy continued to return to Mesa in the winter. There she met Tony Trzebiatowski and they were best and very special friends for many years, Tony visiting her in Washington and she visiting him and his family in Wisconsin. Upon Tony's death in 1999, Dorothy continued to keep herself busy in Port Angeles; dancing to polka music every morning (something she and Tony did when they were together), listening to Country Music, cooking, and working outside nearly every day. Happy hour came every afternoon; often with neighbors.

And, happy hour continued at Crestwood Rehabilitation Center; in the form of Irish Cream, several times a day. She was very fortunate to have her friend, Dora Navarro, visit her nearly every day. We are sad to see her go, but she has left those who knew her with great inspiration for how to get the very most out of our lives and to do the most we can for as long as we can. At 108, Dorothy leaves no survivors.

Drennan & Ford Funeral Home in Port Angeles was entrusted with her arrangements. Please sign her online guestbook at www.drennanford.com .