Mrs. Dolores Elaine "Dee" Fingerle (aka "Grandma Dee" to some of her most favorite people), of Elkhart, quietly passed away of natural causes at Riverside Village in Elkhart on Thursday, February 13, 2025, around 6:00 pm while listening to her daughter Terri play gospel songs to her.

Born in Elkhart on March 24, 1933, she was the daughter of the late Harold Williams and the late Irene (Edward) Williams O'Dell (nee: Pierce). Along with her parents, Dee is also preceded in death by her beloved husband, Denver L. Fingerle, who passed away in Elkhart in 2023 after over 40 wonderful years together. Rumor has it that she had a few words to say to him upon arrival, likely about leaving the coffee pot on or tracking mud into the house.

Dee is survived by her sons Paul (Desiree) Companion of Venice, Florida, and Tony (Amber) Companion of Elkhart; daughter Terri (Jim) Merriman of Cassopolis, Michigan; step-daughter Jackie (Donovan) Liedelmeyer of Elkhart; step-sons Anthony "Tony" (Maria) Fingerle of Tennessee, and Jeffrey "Jeff" (Lisa) Fingerle of Indiana; her brother Larry (Kathy) Williams of Niles; and a huge, loving host of grand, great-grand, and great-great-grandchildren, extended family, and friends who probably still have one or two of her Tupperware containers that she politely expects back.

Services for Dee will be held at Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart on Friday, February 21, 2025, at 1:00 pm, with a time for the gathering of family and friends beginning at 12:00 noon. Pastor Jim Fearnow shall officiate the services, and burial will follow in Adamsville Cemetery near Edwardsburg, Michigan.

Dee worked most of her adult life as a legal secretary for several area attorneys, making sure they kept their paperwork in order and probably reminding them to use their manners. She also worked for a time doing clerical work at CAPS (Child and Parent Services) in Elkhart whenever she could. She always had a special place in her heart for children, perhaps because she never quite lost her own playful spirit.

She will be remembered as a loving and caring mother, an excellent cook (her fried chicken and mashed potatoes could make you forget your troubles), and a woman who always made sure her garden looked better than yours. She enjoyed riding her bicycle, working on her lawn, and spending as much time as possible with her family—who will miss her deeply, even if she did have a way of giving you "that look" when you got out of line.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to CAPS in Dee's memory.