Dolores Wilbeck

Dolores “Dee” Wilbeck stepped on a rainbow at sunset April 29, 2026. She was 82 years old and a Valentine’s Day baby born February 14, 1944. She was the oldest of four children born to William and Gladys Davis of Dallas, Texas.

A native of Cedar Hill, Dee was a student-athlete and Valedictorian of her high school class before graduating from North Texas University with a degree in Home Economics. Her teaching career eventually led her to El Campo, but it was a blind date at Texas A&M with the love of her life, Gary, that truly set her path. Married in 1966, the couple built a life rooted in faith and community. While Dee began as a teacher, her heart for service extended far beyond the classroom. She was a cornerstone of the First Presbyterian Church for nearly 60 years, serving as an Elder on the Session and rarely missing a Sunday in her usual second-row seat. Her spirit of volunteerism was legendary, particularly her three decades of service at the Gulf Coast Medical Center’s Cancer Center, where she offered comfort and a friendly word to everyone she met.

Known affectionately as 'GranDee' or 'MamaDee,' she was a woman who loved ‘big’. Whether she was making a 'mean' Wacky cake, spending schedule-free days with family at the Bay at Port Alto, or spending hours at the grocery store because she simply had to visit with every neighbor she passed, Dee made everyone feel seen. She was a master quilter and a devoted member of the El Campo Casual Quilters. A handmade quilt from Dee was a true badge of honor and a testament to her affection. Above all, she was her grandchildren’s most vocal cheerleader. From Missouri to the Hill Country, she packed love into every visit, ensuring that whether she was playing a competitive game of Hand and Foot or cheering them on via a livestream, her family always knew they were the center of her world. Her legacy of fierce friendship and joyful devotion lives on in the many quilts she stitched and the countless lives she touched.

She is survived by her sons Scott Wilbeck and his wife Julie, Lee Wilbeck and his wife Melinda, her brother William Davis and wife Glenda, sister Sally Bosher and husband Ron, and sister-in-law Linda Herrington. She has 6 grandchildren: Sydney Wilbeck, Maddie Wilbeck, Madeline Parker, Joseph Parker and wife Olivia, Edward Parker, and one great-granddaughter, Gracecyn Hope Parker who GranDee spoiled rotten. She is preceded in death by her parents William “Bud” Davis Jr. and Gladys Davis, her husband Gary Wilbeck, brother Joe Davis, brother-in-law Alan Wilbeck, sister-in-law Sue Piaszik, and granddaughter Emma Parker.

Visitation with the family present will be held at Triska Funeral home on Friday, May 8th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Funeral services are Saturday, May 9th at 10am at the First Presbyterian Church of El Campo, followed by burial at Oak Lawn Memorial Park.

To celebrate Dee’s lifelong passion for quilting, the family invites those who own one of her handmade quilts to bring it to the service for a special display of her legacy.

In lieu of flowers the family would like donations to the First Presbyterian Church of El Campo.