Dottie was born Dorothy Gaylord in Atlantic, Iowa. She attended school in Hermiston, Oregon and graduated from Hermiston High School where she was a Majorette and a cheerleader. She then moved to Pasco, Washington where she held many administrative/bookkeeping jobs as she loved working with numbers. She later drove school bus for many years in Michigan and Benton City.

Dottie had a huge soft spot for animals, especially strays. If he found a dog abandoned along her bus route, there was a good chance it ended up at her house. At one point she had around ten dogs, plus goats, horses, a llama, a bird and a regular feeding station for the neighborhood cats. She never could turn away an animal that needed help.

She enjoyed bowling for many years and made lifelong friends along the way. She enjoyed puzzles, Sudoku, cards, dominos, watching The Golden Girls, yelling at sports on TV and doing paint by-number on her phone. Dottie had a unique relationship with Christ and would talk of him often. She also had her own way of handing out life lessons to those she knew. Over the years she liked to attend the various activities and sporting events of her family.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Dale Gaylord. Also preceding her were her spouses, William Combs, Don Bigham and Terry Ryan. She is survived by her 4 children, Dale Combs, Beverly Robison, Brenda Pease and Lee Combs. She has 5 grandchildren, Dale Robison and wife Ryanne, Dawn Childers and husband Austin, Heather Combs, Monica Lumper and husband Jonathan, Ben Pease and wife Amanda. She also had 7 great grandchildren; Maleea and Channing, Kaliece, Madalynn and Zack, Marcus and Sage Over the years, Dottie collected people everywhere she went and treated many like family, including her stepdaughter Meghann Isbell, JD Rowlette, The Busler family and her beloved Navarro family. If she loved you, you knew it. If she didn’t agree with you, you probably knew that too. The family would also like to thank her Meals on Wheels friends; Dave Sanford, Steve and Jan Abberger and others who spent time with her, checked in on her and made sure she stayed connected and cared about. Their friendship meant a great deal to her and to the family.

Dottie will be remembered for her feisty personality, sharp sense of humor, stubborn streak, and the way she always spoke her mind. She lived life in her own way on her terms.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, June 11^th, 2026 at 11:00am at Einan’s at Sunset Funeral Home, 915 Bypass Hwy, Richland, WA.