She was born in Portland, Oregon, to Hubert and Muriel Koehn on August 17, 1931 and spent most of her growing up years in Portland before moving to Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband of 66 years, Leland Fike.
One of her greatest joys was singing. Music was her life. Because she started out singing in church, most of her songs depicted the love she had for her Lord and Savior. She passed down her love singing Christian songs to her children, teaching them three part harmony. She continued throughout her life, being involved in various groups, including singing on the radio with Blues singer Johnny Ray, making records, and performing in several USO shows. The last group she was involved with was a local group called The Sounds of the Southwest Singers.
She had many adventures and accomplishments. One of her greatest accomplishments was working in the Phoenix Union High School District for 32 years. She started her career at Maryvale High School, first in the duplicating department and then she advanced her typing skills and moved into being the secretary of the counselors. She finished off her secretarial career at Alhambra High School as Activity Secretary.
Dorene and Lee did everything together. If you saw one, the other was sure to be there too. After retirement, they enjoyed many years of traveling in the United States in their motorhome. If they weren't traveling the country, they were up in Flagstaff enjoying the cool weather of summer while their family battled the heat of Phoenix. Needless to say, the family visited them frequently in Flagstaff.
Dorene and Lee were avid bowlers. They spent most of their married life playing on various bowling leagues. They would go to the bowling alley late at night to perfect their bowling skills. They entered many bowling tournaments, winning each of them many trophies.
Dorene was a kind-hearted loving and adventurous woman. She will be missed by son, Dennis and daughters Deborah and Darlene along with many grand, great, and great great grandchildren, as well as numerous family and friends.
A a celebration of life for Dorene will be held Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 11:00 AM, 4641 W Monte Cristo Ave, Glendale, Arizona 85306. A graveside service will occur Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Phoenix Memorial Park & Mortuary, 200 W Beardsley Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85027.
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