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Family was the center of her life.

Our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, matriarch, and friend passed away on August 14, 2026, at the age of 95. Known affectionately to her family as “G-Force, Dodie or Dorie” she was a woman of extraordinary strength, determination, humor, and heart.

She was a pioneering businesswoman at a time when opportunities for women were often limited. Beginning her career in the credit reporting business, she worked for Mr. Feike, who eventually recognized her talent and brought her into ownership and leadership. Together, they built United Credit Reporting Bureau into a thriving company with approximately 20 branches. When she retired, the company was ultimately sold. She was proud of what she accomplished, but those who knew her know that her greatest legacy was not the business she built—it was the family she built and held together.

She was a strong, practical, and sometimes fiercely stubborn woman. She could hold a grudge, she could be unforgiving, and she was never afraid to tell you exactly what she thought. But beneath that tough exterior was an enormous heart. She was deeply generous and gave freely to the people she loved, often finding ways to help family, friends, neighbors, and even those who simply crossed her path. She wasn't always demonstrative with her feelings, but she loved deeply and showed that love through the things she did.

Family was the center of her life. For decades, her home in Corona was the gathering place for Christmases, birthdays, holidays, and family celebrations. No matter how busy life became or how far apart people traveled, grandma had a way of bringing everyone back together. She was the solid root of the family—the matriarch who kept generations connected. She was blessed to see five generations of her family, a legacy that brought her great pride and joy.

She loved creating family traditions. For years, she celebrated her July birthday by gathering the extended family for long weekends in Palm Springs, finding little motels where everyone could stay together. There was always swimming, plenty of food, laughter, and generations of family sharing the same space. She also loved Las Vegas, and for generations of grandchildren, turning 21 meant a trip to Vegas with Grandma. Those traditions became treasured memories that will live on long after her.

She had a wonderful sense of humor and never took herself too seriously. Her family still laughs about the legendary Christmas white-elephant photograph of her sitting on the couch with a Squatty Potty under her feet, a Budweiser in her hand, and an expression that could only belong to G-Force.

And yes, she loved her Budweiser. She was a true beer drinker, and her family made sure she had her favorite Budweiser tall boys even for her 91st birthday. She was also a devoted Angels fan and rarely missed a game. She took her grandchildren to Angels games, creating memories that have lasted a lifetime. Fittingly, she will be laid to rest wearing an Angels jersey.

She loved to bake, especially at Christmas, when she would make what seemed like 25 different kinds of cookies and fill enormous trays to give to family, friends, and neighbors. She baked with love, and everyone who received one of her cookies knew it. She also loved her backyard and her citrus trees—avocados, oranges, blood oranges, limes, and lemons. Her love of baking, gardening, and the outdoors lives on in the family members who inherited those passions from her.

She was fiercely loyal to the people she loved. Her marriage to Gordon Lee Williams was a long, complicated, tempestuous, and deeply loving story. They separated, but ultimately found their way back to one another, and remained together until Gordon's death. She loved him fiercely and remained loyal to him throughout their lives together.

She shared an especially close lifelong bond with her sister-in-law and best friend, Ellen “Sissy” Graham. The two women grew up close, worked together in the credit reporting business for many years, and were an unforgettable team—two strong women who could take on just about anything.

She also had a gift for making people who were not related by blood feel like family. She lived in her Corona home for decades, and her neighbors became an important part of her life. Among them were BJ and Dusan, who were welcomed into the family with open arms, with BJ becoming like another daughter to her. Her circle of people was always larger than a family tree could describe.

Her love extended to animals as well. Throughout her life, she shared her home with many beloved dogs, most of them rescues. Charlie held a particularly special place in her heart and will be laid to rest alongside her. She was also devoted to Maggie, and to Lucy and Ricky who were by her side in her final years. When Lucy faced serious health problems, she spared no expense in caring for her because to Grandma, her dogs were family. Her compassion for animals was simply another expression of the enormous heart she carried beneath that tough exterior.

She leaves behind her daughters, Sherry Ruth MacLellan and Terry Lee Johnson, along with grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, extended family, neighbors, and friends who loved her dearly. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Gordon Lee Williams; her daughter Ellen Elaine Fernandez; and her siblings Bob Williams and Norma Wallace.

Her family is large, complicated, and wonderfully imperfect—just as families are. But Grandma was the person who brought us back together. As we grieve her loss, we hope to honor her greatest wish and greatest legacy: that her family stays together.

We will miss her strength. We will miss her laughter. We will miss her stubbornness. We will miss her cookies, her Budweiser, her Angels games, her stories, and her home.

Most of all, we will miss having G-Force at the center of us.

She was our matriarch. She was our root. She was our glue.

And she was deeply, deeply loved.