Dode has died.
She is gone from this earth; there will never be another person like her. Not ever. The truth of this leaves her only child with enormous grief; which means there is enormous love for Dode and for our family of three.
Dode was truly unique with an interesting mix of contradictions. She was a very social person and enjoyed few things more than a having a good cup of tea and conversation with a friend, a good game of bridge in her various bridge groups, playing golf on “Ladies Day” with her cronies at Bonneville Golf Course, where she made life-long friends; along with being treasurer of her investment club for over forty years, and skiing at Alta and Park City and she just loved being together with her family.
“Dolores Mae Ground” and everyone called her Dode, was born in Hastings, NE and moved to Casper, WY with her parents and her sister and brother when Dode was nine years old; she attended schools in Casper and then the University of WY. Dolores is preceded in death by her parents: Charles R. Ground and Ella M. Ground, her sister, Loretta, and her brother, Milton “Milt” Ground. Dode is survived by her daughter, Jan Perkins, of Oakley, UT, and a nephew and two nieces in CO.
She liked being outside almost as much as her husband of 63 years, love of her life, Richard U. “Dick” Perkins, who preceded Dode in death suddenly eight years ago. Dode was never the same after his death.
Dode was on the college ski team and met Dick on college ski trips to Snowy Range with friends while attending University of WY. That’s when they started dating. After graduating, Dick asked her to marry him while he was in Quantico for FBI training and Dode was working for a bank in Casper. They married after Dick became a special agent in the FBI in Chicago in 1951, then the FBI moved them to New York City. They enjoyed New York, their friendships, going to Jones Beach early in the morning, dinners out, the top of the Rockefeller Center, broadway shows, visiting all the sites. While there, Dode worked for a bank in NYC.
Dode and Dick moved to Salt Lake City in 1956 when he was hired as head of security for the new Sargent Missile. They loved their home over-looking the Salt Lake valley, their friends and neighbors, and working in the yard, and watching elk on the mountain during breakfast. One of the things she valued most was talking with Dick over a glass of wine every evening before dinner. They talked about their day together. They were best friends.
They bought a condo in Park City in 1975 on the eighth green on the Park City Golf Course where they enjoyed years of golf, skiing, and being in the mountains. In our family, Dode was known as “Eagle-Eye Perkins”. On many trips to Jackson, Yellowstone and the Tetons, Dode would always accurately spot “invisible” moose, eagles, and other wildlife at great distance and long before anyone else could see them. She was a highly observant person. Dode really enjoyed watching wildlife, nature, reading, listening to music, and in her day she enjoyed dancing. She loved her daughter’s horse, adopted cats, family dogs; all of whom were family. She had great friendships and she and
Dick enjoyed having dinner parties, poker nights, and golf trips with their friends.
Dode sewed well and started a ski hat business with her friend Bonnie in the 70s and they sold hats at local ski resorts. She was creative. She liked solving problems. She was elegant. She liked art, had good design sense; she kept a beautiful home. She was also a good cook which was very appreciated by her family. She was immensely supportive; a proud mother and close confidant.
Dode was a beautiful skier, an avid golfer, even scoring a hole-in-one while golfing in a tournament at Bonneville. She enjoyed bicycle trips with Dick in Holland, the San Juan Islands, Jackson, and Park City. She suffered from chronic pain for decades and still pushed herself to be outside and active as possible.
She said she lived a very happy life and she was thankful. She stayed on earth as long as she possibly could; not wanting to leave her daughter. A malignant growth in her colon ended her life; Dode took the hard way out. She was very brave.
Dode did not want a service, she wanted to die at home and to have Psalm 23 read after she died. She requested that her ashes be mixed with Dick’s ashes and buried together on a mountain top. Her requests have been honored.
You can honor Dode’s life by telling those you love how much you care. We never know how much time we have left.
Life is precious.
