Doradean Lewis

Doradean Lewis, loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother, age 97, passed away peacefully on July 12, 2024, surrounded by loved ones. Doradean was born January 8, 1927 in Cedarview, Utah to Chancy C. Bacon and Etta Emma Pierce. 

Doradean was a kind and gentle soul with a warm and generous heart. Her service to others knew no bounds. 

Doradean was a great conversationalist and loved to “visit." These visits on the phone often lasted for hours. She loved people. She was energized by people. She was happy because she chose to be happy, in spite of the challenges she was given in her life. 

Doradean, known as “Dean” to her family, was the 10th of 13 children born to Chancy and Etta Bacon. Chancy and Etta had moved out to the Uintah Basin to homestead. They settled in the town of Cedarview where she was born. It was a bustling household with 13 kids, her mom and dad, her dad’s 3 brothers, grandma Bacon and her Aunt Welthie. Most every day the table was set for at least 15 people three times a day. The kids rode a school bus to Roosevelt. One day she missed the bus and had to walk home. It was getting dark by the time she had walked five miles home. She said she never missed the bus again! Her lifelong love of the scenic red rocks all started from growing up in the Basin.

In the summer of 1943 Doradean was living in Heber, Utah and working as a waitress at a local cafe. Her life changed forever the day she served and became acquainted with Max Lewis, the love of her life. He was 18 and preparing to fight for his country in World War II. They wrote to each other for the next 30 months while he served in the Army Air Corps. Max was completely smitten. When Max returned, Doradean knew she had found her “one and only” and Max knew he had found his “lovie.” They were married October 26, 1946. 

Doradean was fiercely loyal to Max. She loved Max, especially his “big strong hands.” Likewise, Max loved Doradean with all his heart. He completely understood and often acknowledged that he was married to an angel. They enjoyed being together and rarely spent time apart. Max was a much more tender-hearted man with Doradean. She brought out the best in him. 

Doradean often mentioned that prior to her marriage to Max, his sister asked if she knew what she was “getting into” by marrying him. Doradean told the sister that she knew exactly what she was “getting into” and that she had no hesitation. She could see the positive attributes that Max possessed and loved him for who he was and what she knew he could become. 

After living in several apartments following their marriage, Doradean and Max bought their one and only home on Colorado Street in Salt Lake City. On Christmas Eve of 1954, they moved all their possessions, including their decorated Christmas tree, into their new home. They raised their four children in this home. Doradean took over the “utility” room as her sewing room, where she spent thousands of hours sewing, altering and mending clothes for hundreds of family members and neighbors, most of the time for little or no pay. 

Doradean loved serving as a Primary teacher. She taught in Primary for over 40 years. For many of the early years of their marriage, the family spent most weekends in Heber, Utah at Max’s parents home. To accommodate their absence from Sunday meetings, Doradean made sure all four of her children attended primary each week. This gave her an opportunity to serve in the church, expose her children to Gospel teachings and was still able to travel on the weekends. She wanted her children to have a strong belief in their Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ and have a testimony of the restored Gospel. 

Much to Doradean’s delight, Max had a change of heart in the late 1960s and began attending Sunday meetings. With the help of good friends and good home teachers, Doradean and Max’s church attendance culminated in them being sealed in the Salt Lake Temple, on November 17, 1972. 

To help supplement the family income, Doradean would babysit two to four children every work day. The family used this money to purchase Christmas gifts and other extras. She loved the children and they loved her as evidenced by them visiting her when they became adults. She was a second mother to many of these children.

Doradean loved the mountains and the outdoors. She always wanted to go for a ride and was ready to go camping and fishing anytime Max said, “let’s go.” There were countless trips during each summer to the Provo River, a mountain lake or to a neighboring state to visit extended family and friends. These trips were a highlight in Doradean’s life.

Doradean wanted to have a strong bond with her grandchildren. She was intentional about achieving this goal. She planned trips each summer where she and Max would take all the grandchildren with them to a river, creek or lake so they could spend time together camping, fishing, playing cards and talking . She would have the grandchildren with her on these trips for five to seven days at a time. She would fix meals, play card games and just spend time with them when it wasn’t their turn to be on the boat fishing with Max. The grandchildren were free to invite their friends who would also enjoy these trips. On their way to their destination they would often stop at a D.I. where the grandkids were given a dollar to buy anything they wanted. As adults, all the grandchildren reflect on these camping and fishing trips as some of their most cherished childhood memories. 

Doradean loved to quilt. She made hundreds of cherished quilts throughout her life. Her quilts continue to provide warmth, comfort and are a legacy of Doradean’s love for countless children, grandchildren and friends. Later in life Doradean focused on making baby quilts. She made hundreds of these baby quilts for grandchildren and great-grandchildren who were having children of their own, and co-workers of her children whom she did not even know. She made many more baby quilts for great-great grandchildren that will be born in the future. She was working on a baby quilt when she passed away. 

Doradean loved to bring her family together, especially for fish dinners from the trout that were harvested on the fishing and camping trips. This gave the family another opportunity to bond and share time and conversation, which she loved. Doradean loved it when people would share the fish they were able to catch on their trips with her. 

As Max’s health declined due to his eight year battle with cancer, Doradean kept track of his treatment schedule and made sure that his bandages were changed on a regular basis so that his infections were kept to a minimum. She was a great nurse for Max and cared for him in their home until the end of his life. Just another example of her devotion and love for Max. 

Doradean was an enthusiastic person who had a happy disposition. She will always be remembered for her original funny sayings. For example, she would answer the phone, “Oh, howdy do? howdy do?”. When she would be especially pleased with the outcome of something, she would exclaim “Happy day! Happy day!” which would be punctuated by “the happy clap”, which would sometimes be followed by her exclaiming “Goodie! Goodie!”. If she was surprised, she would exclaim “holy cats!” When she got hot, she would flap her arms like chicken wings and call it “cooling her pits." If she thought your pants were a little too low, she would say “pull up them britches.” If she was surprised by something, she would say “oh my wordy!” If she agreed with something, she would say “that’s the ticket!”

Doradean lived a long life of over 97 ½ years. Many people probably wonder what were the secrets to her longevity. She would tell you that meeting with her friends every weekday morning and walking for a mile to a mile and a half, chatting the entire way, were her secrets to extending her life. 

Norman Maclean in his highly acclaimed and autobiographical novella “A River Runs Through It” wrote:

“For it is true we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it is those we live with and should know who elude us.”

Doradean possessed the rare gift of giving those closest to her what they needed most. They did not elude her. She connected with them at the deepest level and blessed their lives immensely. She will be dearly missed. 

She is survived by three children, Ilene (Mike) Silvers, Brenda (Vern) Loveless, and Fred (Ann) Lewis, 13 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren, 7 great-great-grandchildren, brothers-in-law, Warren (Beverly) Lewis and Brent (Diane) Lewis. She was preceded in death by her husband, Max, son, Joe, son, Wayne, granddaughter, Nicole, six brothers and six sisters.

Viewing and funeral services will be held at the Rose Park North Stake Center at 1155 N 1200 W, Salt Lake City. Funeral Tuesday, July 23, 12:00 p.m. with a viewing being held the day of the services prior to the funeral from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Internment: Redwood Memorial Estate.