Delores "Dee" Lucille Chastain

Delores "Dee" McWilliams Chastain

During 9 years (3285 days) living together in Eden, I observed something most people don't know. The true love between Hobie and Dee. Every single morning, they never missed greeting each other with a kiss, a hug and an I Love You.

Dee was born October 7, 1930 in Rural Belvedere (Los Angeles), CA to Lucille Marie Dye and John Madison McWilliams. She passed away September 17, 2018 in Ogden, UT. She graduated from Garfield High School in June 18, 1948. She attended numerous Adult Education classes in painting, jewelry making, pottery, and archaeology.

She wanted to be a Legal Secretary and studied that profession throughout high school. Her dad knew her passion and insisted that she graduate from school with her career goal. He was a hard worker and knew that you had to have skills to succeed in life. As always, he wanted the best for his family.

After many years as a homemaker, she branched out into the working world. Her favorite and final job before retirement was managing a high school cafeteria for over 2500 students. She managed the budget and supervised her staff for 10 years before she finally said enough was enough and retired to travel with her husband Hobie.

Delores met her future husband Hobie in Sequoia National Park while on a camping trip with her family. While attending the evening campfire program, put on by the Park Rangers, someone behind her kept pulling the scarf she was wearing down off her head. She finally caught the culprit and noticed it was a tanned, red-headed kid with a great smile. That moment in Sequoia blossomed into a 70-year marriage that started the day after she graduated from high school; June 19, 1948.

She was a fantastic painter. She worked in all 3 mediums: water colors, oils and acrylics. Her favorite scenes were the outdoors and she loved to recreate those visions on canvas. She inherited that talent from her mother who was also a quality painter. Her other interests included boating: they had their own 14' Valco fishing boat for lakes, the Northern Coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, and the Puget Sound; salt water fishing: salmon fishing on the Oregon and Washington coast, local Southern California fishing on her father's charter boat and sportfishing boats for Albacore, Yellowtail, Rockfish and Grouper; fresh water fishing: stream and lake fishing for trout, fly fishing and trolling. A big lover of Bishop, Mammoth Lakes and Bridgeport, California.

She studied Geology and like her husband became a Rock-Hound for her entire life. She had an extensive collection of gems and minerals from across the Wester US. They purchased lapidary equipment and were able to create jewelry quality rock specimens. Actively prospected and mined in California and British Columbia. Her husband Hobie had his own gold mining operation in both California and British Columbia.

Dee was an avid Green Thumb gardener. She was always growing something in the yard. In West Covina she had a small Truck Garden but her prize was the Boysenberry bushes. From the harvest of those plants she created jams and outstanding pies. Later on, in life when they had a home in Big Bear, California, the garden grew in size and they cultivated a huge area growing a variety of vegetables.

Her mother was a fantastic cook and baker. She inherited those qualities and honed her skills throughout her life. She attended Adult Education classes and became professional baker and cake decorator. Her family couldn't wait for her to arrive back at home with her newest creation.

She finally made the change to a Kindle Paper-white because of her extensive reading. She ran out of places to store her books. Has hundreds of books she was reading on her Kindle now.

She devoted her entire life to seeing the sights of this great country. As a young girl the family tent camped everywhere. Their favorite spots were "Tin Can Beach" in Huntington Beach and Sequoia National park. She met her husband in Sequoia. She backpacked with her own family many times and then took a horse and mule packer trip to the backcountry. Camping evolved into a small trailer which grew larger as the family got bigger. Her trailer camping days went on through her early eighties when they finally sold their truck and trailer. They were not just tent or trailer campers. They vacationed on cruise ships sailing the Mexican Riviera several times and a trip to the Panama Canal from the Caribbean. While staying in Cabo San Lucas one October, they survived a hurricane that struck their hotel. The power was out and all of the beach structures were demolished and the tidal surge filled the oceanfront pool completely with sand. She made several trips to Hawaii staying on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and Hawaii. On one of their adventures they were able to hike in to see an active liquid red lava flow on the Big Island. Hawaii was one of their favorite places to visit. They also loved the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island and made that trip several times.

There wasn't an outdoor place she wouldn't hike. Her favorite were day trips in the backcountry everywhere. She would lace up her boots, grab some water, a bag of hard candy and set-off on the trail or just "Boondocking".

She was a volleyball player, ATV rider, water skier, and snow skier. She never traveled anywhere without her camera. She was always in search of the right scene she could duplicate on a canvas. She had a love of the stars in a pitch-black sky in the dark skies of early Los Angeles, on the ocean, and in our National Parks.

Some how she also found time to be a Cub Scout Den Leader and was on the executive PTA staff.

She is survived by her children Craig Chastain of Eden, Utah, Jeanette Cornell, of Huntsville, Utah and Sandra Goldstone of San Clemente, California; also her brother, John McWilliams of California. She was preceded in death by her parents and her loving husband Hobart "Hobie", who died August 31, 2018.

Graveside services were held on September 25, 2018 at 11 a.m. at Evergreen Memorial Park, 100 Monroe Blvd.

Arrangements entrusted to Myers Ogden Mortuary.
Graveside ServicesMyers Evergreen Memorial Park
100 Monroe Blvd.
Ogden, UT 84404
September 25, 2018
11:00 AM