Dolores Joan Eckstrom

Dolores Eckstrom passed into eternal life, to be with her Lord and Savior, on May 19, 2019. She left behind suffering and pain, and is now singing and dancing in Heaven with her husband, Howard, and son, David. She leaves behind four children, Steve (Vicki), Lynn (John), Leigh (Dan) and Lori (Chris), as well as 15 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren. Dolores loved the Lord and loved her family with every part of her soul. She taught all of us kindness, empathy, and to enjoy bargain family fun and laughter together at so many family gatherings! Best of all, she taught us all to love the Lord and have Him become our personal Savior. She has been in each of our lives since the day we were born. Dolores was born December 11, 1927 in Beatrice, Nebraska and raised in a family of four. Her brother Floyd pre-deceased her a few years ago. She enjoyed school and special times with her grandmother who took care of her, while both her parents worked hard to make ends meet during the Depression. Dolores and her family moved to St Paul Minnesota after she finished high school, and the family attended Central Baptist Church, close to their home. It was there that she met the love of her life, Howard, and they married soon thereafter. They were participating members of this church family until they moved to Washington. Mom and Dad were married for a total of 71 years, before Howard passed in September 2018. Mom lost her best friend. Dolores was a loving caregiver all of her life. She cared for her own five children, as well as 66 other children over the course of many years, as a home day care provider. Mom always had faith in her loving Jesus, and this carried her through the troubling times when their beloved son became very ill with cancer at age 9, and later died at age 16. She told us of a startling vision of God speaking to her during a walk by herself one difficult evening, telling her, “Be Still and Know that I am God”. She gratefully felt the peace and wisdom of God that carried her through David’s death and at other difficult times in her life, as well. Once the rest of the family grew up, Mom and Dad enjoyed many friendships, built a cabin together named “HowDee” in Northern Minnesota, sang in choirs and chorales, and enjoyed “couple time” together with dinner and dancing! Many of their children moved to the West Coast to attend school or work, and mom and dad finally migrated here as well, moving to Marysville and having a home there for over 30 years. The family multiplied, and mom helped care for her grandchildren, as well as working in another home daycare for several years. Mom and dad had a wonderful group of friends at their church, First Baptist of Everett, and were very involved in choir and music, as well as the program of Senior Adult Ministries (SAM). These groups provided charity and other help to strangers and to their community, spreading the love of Christ as they worked during many functions. This group also took many wonderful trips around the tri-state area and mom and dad deeply enjoyed this time fun with their “SAM” friends. Mom and dad transitioned, five years ago, when they were in the later 80’s, to Warm Beach Senior Community, where they received loving Christian support and care during their physical decline. We are so appreciative of the staff at Beachwood apartments, Assisted living, and then Nursing for their love and care of mom and dad over these years. We also appreciate Chaplain Ike for encouraging mom’s faithfulness and comfort during health crises and changes. Mom’s Memorial Service is Sunday, May 26th, 2019 at Warm Beach Senior Community, Beachwood Lounge, at 2 pm. Friends are welcome to join the family. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Warm Beach Ministries in her honor and memory.