Doris Elaine Southard

Doris Elaine (Gullickson) Southard, 98, of La Jolla, California, passed into eternal peace on August 31, 2025.

Doris was born on the family farm near Flandreau, South Dakota on September 29, 1926, to Marcus and Marie (Thorson) Gullickson. Her maternal and paternal grandparents emigrated to the US from Norway and Sweden beginning in 1848.

The youngest of 13 siblings, Doris grew up on the family farm during the Depression, where they had no indoor plumbing or electricity. Her brothers nicknamed her “Biggie” because she was small in stature and had a commanding presence. Despite the challenges of the times, Doris was a resourceful and ambitious child and teenager. The Gullickson family instilled in her the values of their Lutheran faith and service to the community. Food harvested on the family farm was generously shared with neighbors. She treasured family, embraced hard work and especially valued learning. She relayed to her grandchildren how her father would gather her and her siblings around a large table in the evenings and give them arithmetic and math problems to solve. Each year Doris entered her school’s public speaking contest and earned first in the county from fourth grade until high school.

A cheerleader and great scholar, Doris wanted to go to college but did not have the resources to do so because both of her parents died when she was a freshman in high school. This led her to move in with her sisters and change schools during her sophomore year. Determined to finish her education at Flandreau High, Doris brokered a new living situation with the local florist in Flandreau to rent an unheated room in exchange for her labor. This experience ignited her lifelong love of florists and flower arrangements.

Doris met her life partner, Dayton (“Dick”) Southard when she was a junior in high school and he was a senior. She loved dancing. Dick had a car from his hard work as a farm laborer, and he wooed her by taking her to dances throughout the neighboring counties. When Dick left to join the Navy during WWII, he asked Doris to wait for him. At the age of 17, she agreed. Dick proposed to Doris on her 18th birthday. Their engagement lasted 13 months while he served aboard the USS Bland in the Western Pacific and survived the battle of Okinawa. In 1946, Doris traveled with her sister and best friend, Gladys, to San Francisco where she married Dick while his ship was in port for two days.

When Dick was discharged from the Navy, they lived in the Los Angeles area. Doris worked as a secretary until she had her first child, Douglas Kent Southard, in 1948. When Doug went to kindergarten, Doris began working at Parker Aircraft, a company that devised the first mechanism for fueling aircraft in flight. In 1958, she had her second son, David Alan Southard and became a full-time, stay-at-home parent. Doris was a devoted mother, and took pride in her sons’ many academic, athletic, musical, and professional accomplishments.

In 1960, Doris and Dick moved their family to La Jolla, California. Doris immediately dedicated herself to her new congregation, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, where she remained active for over 60 years. She first volunteered as the unpaid church secretary and later assumed a leadership role with the Women’s Ministry. For decades, she sang in the choir, developed and led weekly Bible study classes, and prepared flowers and food for Sunday fellowship. She was a member of the La Jolla Country Club and played golf regularly with friends. Doris and Dick loved hosting friends and family at their home and were generous contributors to their community.

When Dick passed away in 2001, Doris was determined to live independently for the remainder of her life – which she did with the utmost grace and practicality. She traveled with beloved friends, visited and wrote to family, and volunteered weekly at a literacy program for elementary school children in San Diego. She stayed fit by exercising and walking the beach and hills of La Jolla. Every morning, she read the newspaper and photocopied the crossword puzzle which she would complete by the end of the day.

Doris adored her sons, and their wives and children. “G-ma” would send cards, newspaper clippings of cartoons, and well-crafted, witty poems and birthday messages across the miles to her grandchildren. When she turned 80, Doris started a practice of sending her family a weekly email titled “Monday’s Note.” She joked that if we did not hear from her by mid-week, we might want to check and see if she was still alive! Doris moved to The Chateau La Jolla in her mid-80s and immensely enjoyed the community and its close proximity to the ocean. Recently, as Doris needed additional support, she received wonderful home care and companionship from staff at TheKey and Lorian Hospice.

Doris lived a full and blessed life. Her faith in God was unwavering, guided her actions, and provided comfort. Her ability to find the positive in every situation was admirable. Doris was playful and fun and relished the chance to read books aloud to her grandchildren. She was a wise woman, generous, devoted and kind to all.

Doris was predeceased by beloved husband, Dick, her parents, siblings, and her grandson, Brian Southard (Doug). She leaves her sons Doug (Vivian Pella) of San Carlos, CA, David (Tina Nappi) of Bedford, MA, and grandchildren, Andrea (Ryan) Lane of Point Loma, CA, Lora (Brian) Goff of Issaquah, WA, Kaden (Duaa Al-Rawi) Southard of New York, New York, Noah Dayton Southard of Philadelphia, PA, Nox Southard of Bedford, MA, and Bianca Balboni (Bryan) Yates, and her great-grandchildren, Braden and Kennedy Lane, Kellan and Isla Goff.

A memorial service to celebrate Doris’ life will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Pacific Beach, 1376 Felspar St, San Diego, CA 92109 on Saturday, October 11th, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, consider donating in Doris’ name to an organization that makes a difference in your community.

We welcome you to email your memories of Doris to the family at [email protected]