Doris Marie Daiker Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Doris Marie (Ottem) Daiker was born in Langdon, North Dakota to Ibsen & Effie Ottem. She had a younger sister, Phyllis, and a younger brother, Earle, and was the daughter of a school superintendent and a hardware store clerk. Doris followed in her father's footsteps and attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN and received her degree during the war and continued on to become a teacher. She was always proud of being an alum of St. Olaf and loved to watch the choir on television. Her student teaching was in Waseca, MN followed by her first teaching position in Perham, MN. This is where she would meet her husband, George, on a blind date. They courted for a while, married, and had a son named Charles (Chuck). Shortly after that they moved back to Mom's hometown where dad became a lineman. In Langdon, George & Doris would have a few more children; Greg, Marcia, Steven, Richard, and Jay. Dad grew tired of the winters and tried to persuade Mom to move west. She always said that she talked him out of it the first year, but in 1958, Dad headed west, followed a year later by Mom and six kids. Leaving from North Dakota, they first settled in Astoria, and Dad was working for an electrical union out of Portland making the commute each weekend. Mom would teach a year in Knappa before she was tipped off to a teaching position in Estacada, which she took for the next year. That is how the family ended up in Oregon City in 1960. After one year in Estacada, her principal told her about a position at West Linn High School in the Home Economics Department. The principal at West Linn High School called one evening and Dad answered. Mom was at night class so Dad accepted the position for Mom. Two more children would be born in Oregon City, Robert and Kristen, to round out the family with eight children. For many years, her life revolved around her children, attending Friday night football games, baseball games at Kelly Field, softball games, dance recitals, and Boy Scouts. She always figured if we were busy, we wouldn't have much time to get into trouble. We all got lessons in cooking, baking, sewing and driving. Dad always said he would teach everyone to drive, then he would go out once and then Mom would have to teach us. We spent many years enjoying the rivalry between OCHS and WLHS with Mom. She always said that she taught in the best of times. Her teaching partners, 11 of them starting at the same time, all became lifelong friends. In 1979, we would lose Dad. Mom would become one of the only single working parents we knew of at the time. She continued to make it to ball games and band concerts for Robert & Kristen, but still managed to squeeze in some fun at the dog track or vacation with friends. She would retire from teaching Home Economics in 1984, and begin travelling the world. Some of her travels included her Minnie Winnie Motorhome excursions to Arizona with friends for the winter, or weekend jaunts to Reno. Her more exotic locations included places like Australia, China, Spain, Greece, Scandinavia, white water rafting in Alaska, and a cruise all the way around South America. Locally, she loved trips to the casinos and the beach. It never took much convincing to get her to go! In 1995, she would lose her oldest son, Chuck, unexpectedly. Shortly after that she hung up the keys to her Minnie Winnie days. In between trips she was always busy as a charter member of the West Linn Riverview Lions, or the Oregon City Elks Lodge for burgers on Tuesday night and dinner on Friday night. She loved playing bridge, going to pool aerobics five days a week (until she broke her arm), breakfast with the "Pool Ladies", and family dinners. Mom loved nothing more than to have her family together. Mom was a friend to so many, a mentor to all and an inspiration to us. We will miss her baking, sense of humor, recipe swapping, and wise advice. Mom is survived by seven children; Greg ( Donna), Marcia, Steven (Kathy), Richard, Jay (Peggy), Robert (Nancy), and Kristen. She is also survived by her 20 grandchildren: Rob, Tim (Heidi), CJ, Joseph (Rachelle), Angie (Bob), Aaron (Kim), Christopher (Marci), Kenneth, Brandon, Stephen (Pelagia), Michelle, Matthew (Nantiya), Jonathan (Kim), Ethan (Ana), Cameron, Erica, Jonathan, Ezekiel, Sarah, and Elias. Plus 24 great grandchildren, three nieces; Jessica, Alana, and Pat, and two nephews, Avery and Lane. She was preceded in death by her parents, both siblings; husband George, son Charles and siblings Phyllis and Earle. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation, Lions Foundation of West Linn, or Doernbecher Children's Hospital. Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11:00 AM, Tuesday, December 15, 2020 followed by a Graveside Committal Service at 12:30 PM in St. John's Catholic Cemetery. The Mass of Christian Burial will be live streamed on the St. John the Apostle Catholic Church Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sjacatholic

Doris Marie Daiker

April 19, 1924 - December 8, 2020