Read Doris Clara Engstrom's Obituary & Leave Condolences

In memory of

Doris Clara Engstrom

Seattle, WA, USA

July 30, 1924 - June 3, 2021

Jul 30, 1924 - Jun 3, 2021

In lieu of flowers

Please consider a gift to Heart Rhythm Society.

Learn more & give
Help keep everyone in the know by sharing this memorial website.

Share

Photo

Doris Clara Engstrom (née Larson), beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend, passed on June 3 in Seattle, Washington. She was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 30, 1924 to Enoch and Clara Larson (née Nelson) who emigrated from Sweden. Doris spent her childhood in Chicago with her much-loved brothers, William and Orval, where she had fond memories of helping in the family music store on South Halsted Street. Doris obtained a B.A. in history from Northern Illinois University where she was a member of the Tri Sigma sorority. During World War II, she worked on the home front at an aircraft plant. After the war, the love of her life, Kenneth Roger Engstrom, returned from the Pacific. They were married shortly after and began 55 years together. Ken took an opportunity at Boeing in 1962 and the family moved permanently to the Washington State, first living in the Seattle area and then the Tri Cities. After Ken passed in 2002, Doris remained in the Tri Cities for 14 more years before moving back to Seattle in 2016 to be closer to her children.

Doris dedicated her professional life to education. She taught high school and, in retirement, developed and administered Kennewick’s Bethlehem Lutheran preschool. A woman of great faith and influence, Doris touched family and friends and made a habit of service to them. She was a lay minister for Bethlehem Lutheran’s Shepherd Ministry and a member of the Philanthropic Educational Society.
Perhaps Doris’ most appreciated role was as the family matriarch. She could always be counted on to care about the details of your life, encourage you to be your best, and give her stand-by advice of “just go for it” - of course, over a cup of orange-spice tea.
Doris had boundless energy and great intellect. She traveled well into her 90s, highlighted by a trip to Sweden at age 88. She was an avid reader of history and politics and a life-long learner. She loved music and was a talented oil, acrylic, and pastel artist which gave her great satisfaction in the last decades of her life. Doris was a joy to be with, loved to laugh, had an enthusiastic spirit, and always looked for the best in people.

Doris loved her family immensely. She was unmistakably proud of her children Judith L. Helbling, Jeanne E. Poole, Kenneth G. Engstrom, and Christine A. Engstrom; delighted in her grandchildren, Heidi A. Snell, Mark T. Helbling, Sarah C. Poole, Elizabeth J. Hughes, and Daniel J. Poole; and dearly loved her three great-grandchildren, Ethan and Logan Helbling, and Hudson Snell as well as her many nieces and nephews. Doris is also survived by her adored cat, Sapphire. We cherish our time with our beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, friend, and role model. Doris will be missed by all.

A private funeral service is planned for June 16, 2021, at the Einan’s Sunset Gardens Cemetery, 915 Bypass Highway Richland, WA 99352, Richland WA. A Celebration of Life event for family and friends will take place later this year in Seattle, WA.
Please visit our website for Doris, where you can share your memories and stories of her life.
Donations in honor of Doris’s life can be made to Bethlehem Lutheran School, Kennewick, WA (2505 West 27th Ave. Kennewick, WA 99337) or in support of cardiovascular disease to the Heart Rhythm Society (1325 G Street NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20005).

Order a beautiful PDF you can print and save or share.

Get the PDF

Get notified when new photos, stories and other important updates are shared.

Please consider a gift to Heart Rhythm Society.

$100.00

Raised by 1 person

Learn more & give