Doris Nordyke
CHARLO — Doris Sena (Nielsen) Nordyke was born Dec. 10, 1929, in Enumclaw, Washington, to Jens Einer Nielsen and Sena (Jensen) Nielsen. Doris grew up on the Maple Tree Farm in the Osceola Community until 1969. She attended the Osceola Community School through the 3rd grade. After the school closed, she attended fourth grade through high school in Enumclaw and graduated in 1947. After high school she went to Seattle and worked for Sears and Roebuck Store for two and one half years.
On July 8, 1950, she married Kenneth Nordyke of Puyallup, Washington. They were blessed with four children, Gordon, Kathryn, Cindy, and Karla. During her life Doris worked in the Farmer’s King Pickle cannery in Enumclaw, as a grocery store clerk, a nurse’s aide for home health and nursing homes, as a school janitor, a cook for the Charlo Senior Center and farmed with her husband in Charlo and Enumclaw.
The hobbies Doris enjoyed most were being outside with the animals, working the farms, sports, dancing, family gatherings and the domestic life of a woman. Her Christmas eve dinners are still remembered by family and friends. She enjoyed socializing and belonging to the JC Auxiliary, VFW Auxiliary, American Legion Auxiliary, D’Aste Women’s Club, and the Charlo Senior Center. Doris’ parents; her brother, Russel Nielsen; a grandson, Shawn Baxter; her beloved husband, Ken; and many family members and friends precede her in death.
She is survived by her children: Gordon (Nan) Nordyke of Stanley, North Dakota, Kathryn (Dennis) Growcock of Lebanon, Oregon, Cindy (Delyle) Paulsen of Charlo, Montana, and Karla Nordyke (Tom Keller) of Trail City, South Dakota; and a special friend, Sonny His Chase of Fort Yates, North Dakota; 12 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. She is also survived by two sisters-in-law, Shirley Nielsen of Kent, Washington, and Melba (Nordyke) Dunlap of Riverside, California.
Doris’s pride and joy in life was getting her family raised, the choices they made for their lives, and watching the grandchildren grow up.
In her life, she was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend.
