Dorris Ann Nesel

Dorris Ann Nesel, 98, passed peacefully from this life on September 27, 2023.  She was a proud Iowa native, born to Conrad and Idona Nelson and graduated from Ventura High School in Ventura, Iowa.  After moving to California, she worked at Lockheed Martin Aerospace, and later met and married Charles Nesel.  They settled in Van Nuys where they raised eleven children: Michael (Barbara), Janet, Rita, Stephen (Carol), David, Mary, Martha Davidson, Richard, Donald (Kim), Matthew, and Carol Nesel-Caldwell (Carl).  When Charles retired, he and Dorris relocated to Seattle, Washington.  While there, Dorris made some very dear friends. They have many fond memories of her, including sharing the basketball hoop in her driveway with the neighborhood children, and coming by with homemade cookies and fresh raspberries from the garden. 

After the death of her husband, Dorris moved to Camarillo, CA. to be near her sister, Connie (John); niece, Patricia (Jack); and some long-time Nesel family friends.  She also was very happy to be within driving distance of several of her children and grandchildren who lived nearby in Palmdale & Lancaster. 

Dorris was a homemaker in the truest sense of the word, taking pride in her home and her children.  She was the strong, steady heartbeat at the center of the family.  Through letters and cards she kept in touch with her Iowa cousins and friends she’d left behind in her moves.  Family and friends could count on a card and a singing "birthday" phone call each year.  Dorris participated in Camarillo Senior Center activities, the Camarillo Women’s Club, and was a familiar face walking daily in her neighborhood.  As an active member of the St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church for over 25 years, she volunteered at their soup suppers and other events.  Her faith sustained her throughout her life. 

Dorris is survived by 9 children, fifteen grandchildren, eighteen great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles; sister, Connie Petrella Escareno of Camarillo; and sons, Richard and David.

Dorris had a smile which felt like a perfect morning sunrise.  She leaves behind a legacy of loving kindness.

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