Doris Pearl (Petrik) Dee, 92, died Wednesday, July 15, 2020, in the presence of her daughter, Nancy Whitley, at the Care Center in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.

Memorial services will be at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 22, 2020, at Johnson's Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, with visitations beginning at 12:00 p.m. Due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, the family will meet at a later date for burial at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Doris was born on March 28, 1928, to Ruby and Louis Petrik in Wagner, South Dakota. She grew up as the only child on their modest farm and worked her fingers to the bone, seven days a week, all day long. And the days are nothing if not long in South Dakota during the summer. She graduated from Ravinia High School in 1946 and shortly thereafter (days, not weeks) got on a bus to Fairbault, Minnesota. It was there that Doris met William "Bill" Dee, a handsome young Marine just returning from serving in WWII. Bill maintained that they met at the skating rink, but Doris insisted that it was at the store where they both worked. We'll never know for sure, but meet they did and soon thereafter they fell in love. The two were married from July 5, 1948, until Bill's death in 2012. Their 63 years together continue to be a great source of pride for their children.

The War was over, but Bill and Doris started out as a military family. Bill was an active Marine Reservist and they served a two-year hitch in San Francisco, California. Once their military service was finally completed in 1952, the family of four (Den and Barb were little ones at the time) returned to Minnesota where Bill began his career in the dime store business. This took them from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, to Great Falls, Montana, and finally to Thief River Falls, Minnesota.

They arrived in TRF in 1966 with six kids, Den and Barb having been joined by Jim, Nancy, Susie and Joe. They showed up with a lot of hope and excitement and not much else. Bill managed the Ben Franklin store and Doris went to work full time. During the '60s and '70s Doris worked at J&B Drugs for six years and then at Tischart's Fabrics for over a decade.

Doris Dee's ability to get it done was singularly impressive. After working eight hours and

arriving home just after 5:30 pm, she would put down her purse while walking into the kitchen where she would start to prepare the evening's dinner. After ten minutes or so while things began heating up, she would go upstairs and change out of her work clothes. Then it was back to the kitchen to tend to dinner for a few minutes and after that she'd join Bill in the TV room for one Grain Belt beer. It was only one, and it was only Grain Belt. Doris used to say, "If it wasn't for Grain Belt, I just wouldn't drink beer!"

After supervising the kids doing the dishes, Doris would watch TV... while ironing. And after all that, it was Doris Time! That's when she made her way into our dining room sewing studio and pursued her lifelong passion of sewing. Her dream job certainly was at Tischart's Fabrics and it was there that she built her wonderful collection of fabric, sewing patterns, buttons and thread. You know what they say, she who dies with the most fabric wins!

After leaving Ben Franklin in 1983, Bill and Doris bought Florence's Café which they operated for eight years. It was during this time that Doris began making pies and ultimately became known in Thief River Falls as "The Pie Lady." After they sold Florence's Cafe, Doris continued making pies and waitressing at Handy Farms. She continued to hold full-time employment until well into her eighties. Her sewing continued as well as she loved making doll clothes and had regular costumers for her alterations business.

If Bill provided a model for the kids in creating their value systems, it was just as certain that the indefatigable Doris instilled in all of them the value of being productive and the virtue of hard work. What more could you ask of loving parents than to provide lifelong examples of dignity, morality, and diligence in all endeavors?

Doris is survived by her children Dennis Dee of Germantown, Wisconson, Paul Smith of St. Paul, Minnesota, James Dee (Ginger) of Las Vegas, Nevada, Nancy Whitley (Johnny) of Thief River Falls, Minnesota, Susan Dee of Moorhead, Minnesota, and Joe Dee (Marlyn) of Peachtree City, Georgia, grandchildren Carly, Nick, Shel, Jamie, Sina, Samantha, Hank, Jack and Joey, great grandchildren Maren, Wade, Drew, Molly, Billy, Audrey, Liam, and Connor, and Winnie the Dog.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Bill, daughter Barbie Smith, and

grandson Billy.

Condolences may be sent at www.johnsonfuneralservice.com