Dolores Mountain

MOUNTAIN, DOLORESA resident of Albuquerque since 1958, passed away peacefully at home at age 90 on Tuesday, April 16, 2013, surrounded by loving members of her family. She was born in St. Louis, MO on October 11, 1922, the daughter of Estelle Sherer and John Bayard Watson. She was preceded in death by husbands Calvin Bode, Ruben Villanueva, and John Mountain. She is survived by her children, Sharon Bode and partner, Linda Lopez McAlister, Pamela Sanders of Albuquerque, Linda Ward and husband, James Ward of Arlington, TX, Rebecca Granger and husband, Ralph Granger of Mt. Pleasant, MI, Thomas Bode of Ft. Worth, TX, Cynthia Boyd and husband, Rick Boyd of Oklahoma City, OK, Gary Edward Bode and wife, Janene Bode of Moriarity, NM; grandchildren, Cliff Sanders, Sherry Philyaw, Robin Sanders, Carin Brueckner Neville, Hannah White, Sarah White, Trey Boyd, Chrysi Boyd Doner, Rachel Bode Nauss, Paul Bode, Matthew Bode and Anna Bode; five great grandchildren; and sisters, Loretta Price and Margaret Watson of St. Louis. Dolores earned an associate degree in social work from the University of New Mexico and worked for many years for the State Department of Health and Human Services as a caseworker in Adult Protective Services. Friends may visit FRENCH - University, Saturday, April 20, 2013, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. A Mass will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 619 Copper Avenue NW on Saturday, April 20, 2013, 1:00 p.m. Recognizing Dolores' lifelong concern for and service to the poor, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 4120 Menaul Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110. Background StoryDolores Mountain was born on October 11, 1922 in St Louis, Missouri to Estelle and John Bayard Watson. Dolores, or Dodo her nickname from a brother who couldn't pronounce Dolores, was the sixth of ten children. Her father was an accountant for a large St Louis department store and her mother kept busy at home. When Dolores was about eight she lost her left eye as a result of a measles infection. At the beginning she must have been self conscious about having an eye patch over her eye and surely she was teased about it. She was fitted for a prosthetic eye and I think most people never noticed the difference. What they noticed I think was her laughter and joyful nature. She was working when she met Calvin in 1941. He was living in a boarding house where my grandmother worked. They started dating and two years later were married in Ferguson, Missouri. Calvin had a very good job, lots of overtime, making airplanes at Curtis Wright and they were able to buy a cute little brick house. After the war ended, the factories making war equipment closed but Calvin was able to get a job with Eastern Airlines in Miami. In less than a week they were able to rent out the house and they were on their way to Florida. The tiny trailer near dad's work site was awful and mom scrubbed morning to night to make it livable. Mom and Florida were not made for each other. She really was terrified of water and there was just so much water under the bridges, along the roads and then there was the ocean. Mom also missed her family in St Louis and so they returned to the Midwest. When Calvin moved the family to Albuquerque, there were seven children. Dolores loved this city and had many friends over the years. She worked at a number of jobs, but her heart and work really came together when she was selected for a program called New Careers. She earned her GED and an AA degree which led to her final career as a social worker. In 1985 her weekend on call for her social work job led her to an encounter with John Mountain. They fell deeply in love and married in 1987. Mom was the center of John's life. At great personal cost mom cared for John for eight years at home after John's spinal cord injury. Dolores was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2007. For the last ten years of her life, she enjoyed visiting with her children. For several years she divided her time between her home in New Mexico and living with Becky and Ralph in Michigan. In late March Dolores developed a serious infection and was taken to the hospital. She recovered from the infection but she was ready to move on to the next stage of her life. We will miss her.