Dolores Theresa Westwood

Her children and members of her extended family were present at her bedside. Dolores was born in Allegheny County, Ross Township, a rural area outside Pittsburgh, PA on January 23, 1935. She graduated from Perry High School in 1952 and was beginning studies in nursing when she met and married Carlo Del Carlo. She paused her nursing studies to focus on marriage and motherhood. The two of them moved where his career took them, first to Michigan and later to California. They raised four children.

Dolores loved being a homemaker. She was famous for her delicious apple pie, and she shared her sewing talent by making clothing for her children when they were young. When her children got older, she pursued her deferred dream of becoming a nurse, graduating first from Santa Ana College in 1980, then completing studies at Chapman University in 1990 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science. She worked at St. Joseph Hospital until her retirement, rising to a supervisory position there, managing an outpatient psychiatric clinic.

In retirement Dolores loved spending time with her children and grandchildren. She loved animals deeply and cherished a series of beloved dogs. She was an avid reader and enjoyed keeping up with world events. She was preceded in death by her brother, William Bechtold Jr, and her sister, Joyce Caughey. She is survived by her four children: Nina Del Carlo, Diana Del Carlo (Kirk Illian), Carlo Del Carlo Jr and Debra Del Carlo-Orrin (Richard Orrin Jr). She has three grandchildren, Emma Donnelly, Dustin Del Carlo and Vanessa Cable, as well as two great grandchildren, Rayna and Jameson Donnelly.

We her family grieve her passing and the loss of her in this life, but we know she has entered into eternal life and is in the arms of God. We look forward to meeting her again in heaven, even as we cherish her memory on earth.