In Loving Memory of Dorris Jean Fennoy
Dorris Jean Fennoy was the strongest woman I have ever known.
In September 2011, after retiring from her position as Vice President at US Bank, she went in for a routine checkup and received life-changing news: she had breast cancer. True to her nature, my mother was a private woman who did not want everyone in her business. She shared her diagnosis only with her husband, my father, and kept her battle quiet—even from me.
After treatment, her cancer went into remission. However, in June 2016, it returned stronger than before. At the time, I was living in Federal Way, Washington, but I made the decision to move back home to help care for her. Learning of her diagnosis was devastating, especially because I had never known she had been battling cancer in the first place.
From that point forward, I accompanied my mother to blood work appointments, chemotherapy treatments whenever her blood counts allowed, and, most importantly, spent precious time with her on the days she was unable to go. Through it all, I witnessed her courage, determination, and unwavering strength.
On February 8, 2022, without realizing it, I spoke to my mother for the last time. My father and I helped her into the car for a blood work appointment that morning. Before leaving, I told her I loved her and that I would see her when I got home from work. She told me she loved me too and that she would see me when I got home.
