Dorothea Marie Notter (Estes), 90, passed away Dec. 13, 2012, at Ivy Court in Coeur d’Alene. Dorothea was born on Sept. 23, 1922, in Portland, Ore., (at home) as the fifth of seven children to Charles Otis Estes and Dorothea Elizabeth Stack.

Upon her mother’s death in 1929, the family was scattered amongst the Oddfellows’ Home and various aunts and uncles in the area. They all survived the Great Depression and she graduated from Franklin High School in 1940 and Willamette University in 1944 with a degree in physical science.

In the summer of 1944, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service) for two years and was honorably discharged as a Yeoman 3rd class.

For the next eight years she was a secretary in a Portland area bank until she took a civil service job for two years as an activity coordinator for U.S. Servicemen stationed in Germany.

Upon returning to the U.S. she took another civil service job with the Federal Prison Service as a correctional officer in the Women’s Division of the Federal Correctional Institute in Long Beach, Calif.

She met her future husband, Marvin Bush Mitchell, at her apartment complex in 1959 and married him in Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 28, 1960. On April 28, 1961, she had her only child, John Charles. Tragedy struck in 1967 as Marvin was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and later died on Jan. 28, 1968.

Through mutual acquaintances, she met a fellow widowed co-worker, Torris Kenneth “Jack” Notter and on Aug. 23, 1969, they married in Lynwood, Calif. She gave up her working career to become a full-time mom and getting involved with the Parent Teacher Association program.

In July 1972, civil service sent the family to Terre Haute, Ind., until Jack’s retirement in December 1973. After a brief stint of managing a KOA campground in Stanfield, Ariz., they settled in to retired living in Coeur d’Alene in October 1974. She was able to pursue numerous interests to include: learning to fish, trailer camping, reading, crossword puzzles, needlepoint, latch hooking, traveling with Jack and becoming a regular at the Rustler’s Roost.

She’s preceded in death by her parents; numerous relatives on her side of the family; her previous two husbands; sister Adeline Patrick; and brothers, Harlan, Lloyd and Charles. She’s survived by her sister, Blanche Alden; brother Clarence; son John; and Jack’s children, Ken, Sally, Dallas and Duane. She’s also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

A visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, at English Funeral Chapel, 1133 N. Fourth St., Coeur d’Alene. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, at English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene. Please visit Dorthea’s online memorial at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.