Obituary of Dorothy Elizabeth Bassett Jelcick

Dorothy Jelcick, a long-time resident of Santa Cruz, California, passed away on Sunday, June 2, 2013 in Sacramento, where she had lived since 2011 under the attentive care of her daughter Diane Carey Woodruff. Diane's sisters, Jeanne Jelcick of Santa Cruz and Evonne (Bonnie) Olson of Santa Fe, New Mexico assisted Diane in caring for their dearly loved mother. Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband of more than 60 years, Evan D. (Duke) Jelcick, her parents, Charles and Ethel Bassett, her two sisters and four brothers, and her devoted companion in later years, Minor (Stretch) Lentfer. In addition to her three daughters, she is survived by six grandchildren, Hilary, Bobby, Nels, Kari, Seth and Tommy, and four great grandchildren, Tre, Jace, Noa and Cora. Dorothy was born in Delano, California, and grew up on her parents' farm, widely known for excellent fruits and vegetables and for the 400 Thanksgiving turkeys they raised every year. Educated in Delano public schools, she attended Bakersfield College and then transferred to San Jose State University where she met and married Duke. After raising their three daughters in Sunnyvale and San Jose, Dorothy and Duke moved to Paradise Park in Santa Cruz, where they had long maintained a family vacation home. For more than 30 years they gathered frequently with their children and grandchildren in Paradise Park and at their condominium in Honolulu where they spent winter months. Avid tennis players, Dorothy and Duke were a formidable doubles team and enjoyed countless spirited matches in which family and an extended circle of friends repeatedly fell victim to Dorothy's relentless backhand. Dorothy's family was the center and focus of her life. She was a wonderful mother to her daughters and their husbands and cherished "Geema" to her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She blessed them all with the warmth of her unconditional love, the comfort of her quiet, reassuring, and ever present care, and the delicious pleasure of world class roast turkey with all the trimmings. Not confined to her family, however, Dorothy's love radiated to all who were privileged to know her. She loved and was loved by her family and her many friends; she will be sorely missed. A celebration of Dorothy's life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on June 10, 2013, at the chapel in Santa Cruz Memorial, 1927 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, California. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association, 1455 Response Road, Suite 190, Sacramento, CA 95815.