Maureen Anne Ottley

Maureen Anne (Dee) Ottley (61) passed away peacefully Monday, September 28, 2015 after a 5 year hard-fought battle with leukemia. Dee was born on February 6, 1954 to Dr. Charles and Mercedes Dukes in Houston, Texas.

Dee attended U of Nevada-Reno and started a 30-year career in the gaming industry. Early in her career, a fellow casino employee asked where she was from, and she replied Detroit. He said ‘you come from the big “D”, so we’ll call you Dee,’ and it stuck.

Dee and late husband Van Sparks moved to Laughlin, NV and then to Franklin, LA. Dee worked for 12 years as the Table Games Manager for the Cypress Bayou Casino. Van passed in 2000, and Dee returned to Tucson. Dee and Dennis married in 2004. Dee pursued a second career with RBC Wealth Management and served as a Senior Registered Client Associate administrating 401K plans for the Falbaum Investment Group.

Dee is survived by husband Dennis, daughter Kathy (Bill) Schneider, sister Karen Estes, sons Darren (Tammy), Brad (Tina), and Doug (Cheryl) Ottley; grandchildren Presley (Garett) Kofoed, Caden, Brent, Ronan, Collin, and Ian Ottley; great-great granddaughter Hollis Rae Kofoed, and nieces Alita (Landon) Lutruck and Rebecca (Frank) Hudson.

Dee was passionate encouraging everyone ages 20-60 to sign up for the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. It’s a simple cheek swab test to register, and if a match is found, the donor could save a life through the gift of a transplant.

We thank Drs. Slack and Tibes and their staff at the Mayo Clinic, and especially the staff at AZ Oncology and Dr. Laurie Chen for thoughtful care in treating Dee.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Hope Lodge at Mayo Clinic, the AZ Oncology Foundation, or the charity of your choice in memory of Dee.

Funeral services will be Monday October 5, 2015 at East Lawn Palms. 5801 East Grant at 1 pm. We will have a gathering of friends and family to celebrate Dee’s life, followed by graveside services.