Obituary of Dolores Claire Reid

Dolores (Blankenfeld) Reid was born on November 6, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska to Myrtle and Emmitt Blankenfeld, she was the oldest of eight children. At a very young age she moved to the small farming community of Canby, Minnesota where she graduated from Canby High School in 1943. After graduation she traveled by train to Oakland, California to join her Uncle Floyd and Aunt Dagmar Blankenfeld. Her aunt was working at the Kaiser Shipyards where they were building Liberty Ships and where Dolores worked for a short time as a clerk. In January of 1944 she was accepted into the Cadet Nursing program at Samuel Merritt Hospital in Oakland, California and in 1947 she received her R.N. It was during this time that she met her future husband George Reid who was attending the University of California at Berkeley.

On February 7, 1948, George and Dolores were married in Berkeley, California. In 1949 the couple moved to Tacoma, Washington where she worked as an ER Nurse in a Catholic hospital. In February of 1953 their son, Jerry, was born. Later that year they were transferred to Bountiful, Utah where they became members of the wonderful Community Christian Church. In 1969, after several work-related moves, the couple moved to Atlanta, Georgia where Dolores started what would be many years volunteering at local hospitals. It was also in Atlanta where she was initiated into the P.E.O. Sisterhood.

In 1986, following George’s retirement, they moved to Santa Maria, California to be near George’s and Dolores’s mothers. They were both dedicated to their mothers with frequent visits and much support. Dolores continued her hospital volunteering and P.E.O. membership, and the couple also became members of The Elks. In December of 2005, they made their final move to Chico, California, to be near their son and daughter-in-law who were building a house in Paradise, California.

Dolores was a devoted and loving wife and a wonderful mother. She was kind, caring, supportive, a good listener, and made lifelong friends wherever she lived. Dolores had a positive outlook on life and never complained. She passed away peacefully on February 18, 2024, at the age of 98; she will be greatly missed. She was predeceased by her parents; her brothers Emmitt and Richard Blankenfeld; her sisters Bonnie Towns and Bette Jarvis. She is survived by her son Jerry (Christine) Reid; her grandsons Tyson (Margaret) Mantor; Derek (Kira) Mantor; and great-grandchildren Reid, Athena, Josie, and Owen; her brothers Billie (Beth) and Russ (Karen) Blankenfeld; her sister Sharon (Don) Sievers along with many cherished nieces and nephews.

The Reid family would like to acknowledge the wonderful caregivers at Enloe Hospice and the very caring folks at The Inn at The Terraces, an assisted living facility where Dolores lived this past year. If desired, donations in Dolores’s name can be made to either Enloe Hospice or to the First Christian Church, 295 E. Washington Ave, Chico, CA 95926. Memorial services will be held at the First Christian Church in Chico on Saturday March 23 at 2:00 PM. Messages of condolence may be left for the family at the Brusie Funeral Home’s web site at www.brusiefh.com.