Dolores Janet Chard

“Dee” Chard was born Dolores Janet Scharf in Chicago to German immigrant parents, Paul and Hilde. She was an only child and spoke only German until she began school. She lost her mother while in high school to a lifelong battle with tuberculosis. She adored her Granny, Frieda Scharf, who was largely the one who raised her during her mother’s life of illness. While Dolores grew up to be a 5’9” tall woman, her beloved Granny was a 4’10” powerhouse of influence on her life. 

Dolores married Alvin Hastie in 1951. She became a mother first to (Rod)Rick in 1953 and to Susan in 1956. In the 1960s, their family relocated to the Seattle area. In the 1970s both Rick and Susan married, adding Lillian Mayer and Doug Asbjornsen into the fold of family. In 1977, Dee married a wonderful man, Ron Chard, and her family continued to grow.

Her grandchildren began arriving in 1978. She was grandmother to Erik, Amy (Randall), & Kelsey (Hawthorne) Asbjornsen and Jamie (Beardsley) & Kelli (Vandanacker) Hastie. Through the addition of Ron’s daughter Linda, she welcomed Stephanie, Jessie & Alex Gano as her own. She went on to become the great-grandmother to 20, currently ranging in age from 6 to 21. She held every one of them as infants and got to watch them grow.

She lost her son, Rick, in 1990 in an automobile accident, a loss she carried with her all of her days. 

In 1994, Dee and Ron followed Susan and Doug to live in eastern Washington. First in Chewelah, then Spokane in 2006 and they made the move to Fairwood Retirement Community in December 2014. They were engaged and valued residents at Fairwood and had many good years there. Ron passed away in December, 2023.

Young Dolores was very much shaped by that tight-knit German family and community in Chicago, living in a small apartment building owned by her grandfather on the northwest side of the city. Her children would be born and live in that very same apartment building decades later. She enjoyed her growing up years around the city blocks of her neighborhood and out to the beaches of Lake Michigan.The family cottage at Lake Catherine in Antioch, Illinois was an especially big imprint on her life and a gathering place for family and friends. In the city she enjoyed horseback riding, ice skating, dancing, and more family gatherings.

Her uncle, Ray Scharf, was only 4 years older than Dolores and they pretty much grew up as siblings under Granny’s love and tutelage. All living in that same apartment building, the basement was the site of many gatherings. A juke box would be brought in, the rugs rolled up for dancing and the washtub filled with ice for the beverages. Dolores remembered feeling special that Ray included her in his parties.

Dee began working young and worked a myriad of interesting jobs throughout her life. She was deeply valued by all her employers, bringing her warm personality into every environment. In her adulthood she continued to love lake time and sunbathing, road trips to Florida and across the country, trailer camping, and wintering in Arizona, creating community and growing flowers everywhere she lived.

Dolores personally managed and grew the stocks passed down to her from her grandfather. She vividly recalled him taking her to the Chicago Stock Exchange as a child more than 80 years ago.

Dee was known to keep a tidy, but also cozy home. (Her children were glad when the days of plastic covers on the furniture were over!) She tried to balance tidy and cozy. She often used the German words “pingelich” (particular, finicky) and “gemütlich” (akin to coziness) to describe her housekeeping approach and desire. Cozy was not just a look, it was a felt experience that fostered a good and pleasant experience.

Dolores loved looking at maps to plan trips. She loved her many dogs. She was a Chicago Cubs fan and later the Seattle Mariners. Dolores loved her orange Volkswagen fastback—known as the “pumpkin.” She bought the “pumpkin” in 1972 with her very own money. A big deal since in 1972 it was still not possible for a woman to have a credit card in her own name without a husband or father’s oversight. 

Dee’s love of trains began when her dad set up elaborate model train sets around their Christmas trees in her childhood. She rode the “L” train as part of living in Chicago. When she had grandchildren she found joy in having a wooden train set available for them. It was for her grandchildren that she took on learning to bake and do crafts of all sorts. She was dedicated to staying engaged with all of her great-children as well.

Card games were prevalent all her life. She learned from her own Granny and she lived to play with her own great-grands! She was known for landscaping and gardening. She enjoyed tending to her raspberry bushes, tomatoes, geraniums, and having a greenhouse was especially fun. 

She was a great bocce ball player, excellent at darts, played pokeno and bingo, read mystery and suspense novels, and enjoyed HGTV.

Dee became severely challenged by profound hearing loss. She missed music and bird song, but as a “people person” she especially missed conversation. Her determination to grasp technology and to become ‘savvy” first with email, and then to texting and social media is what made it possible for her to continue communicating with her people. Even at 94, she was “googling” for answers and always using fun emojis.

When asking family what first comes to mind when they think of her these responses came quickly…Dee was “hip,” fashion conscious, and always put together. She was curious and engaging, a great conversationalist. She was thoughtful and caring, remembering the small details about each of us. She was affectionate, generous and magnetic, sharp as a tack. She had a gift of making us seen and heard. She had the brightest smile and a warm, unforgettable laugh. She was competitive in games, even a little ruthless! She liked things “just so." She made everyone feel like the most important person in the room. She made me feel safe to talk frankly. She could be counted on for advice during late night phone calls. She was our greatest fan, and somehow, we were all her favorite. She loved popcorn! Always popcorn. She made the best Chex Mix. Salty snacks were never far away. Yes, popcorn and games until the end.

The more Dee aged the more she looked deeply into the face of each person and the more she looked deeply into herself; absorbing that she was indeed “smart,” grappling with the tensions of great blessings & tragedies, having regrets yet thankful & hopeful, learning that trusting God and having questions are not incompatible, always seeking, curious and aware into her last day. She left us Sunday April 26, 2026, but those of us who knew and loved her were left richer in all the things of life that truly matter.

Tucked in her Bible for years and then found on her desk after her passing was a special bookmark. Her tendency to worry frequently needed the reminder of Proverbs 3:5 that was on the bookmark— “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,” along with these words: “When I am worried it is usually because I am trying to do everything myself. When I am at peace, it is usually when I remember that God is in control.”

Dee finished her amazing life journey well, at peace and with loved ones by her side.