Edith "Edie" Jesse

Edith “Edie” Jesse

February 6, 1933-February 23, 2017

Edith “Edie” Eleanor (Dopke) Jesse passed away peacefully with family at her side on February 23, 2017 at the age of 84, at the home of her daughter Pamela in Lakewood, CA. After a three year battle, she lost her struggle to a very rare type of Chordoma cancer.

Edie was born in Winona, MN to Walter and Ann Dopke. She attended and graduated from the University of Minnesota. She was active in Delta Delta Delta sorority and enjoyed the philanthropic aspect and social gatherings. After graduation she accepted a teaching job in San Diego, CA at Camp Cuyamaca in 1955. There, she met her future husband Robert “Bob” Jesse in November. In December, Bob asked Edie if she wanted to share a ride back to the Midwest and he’d drop her off in Minnesota while he continued on to Wisconsin to spend Christmas with the family. Edie accepted. It must have been love at first sight, or maybe the 48 hours non-stop in the car driving to the mid-west, but the next summer (August 1956) they were married at the Congregational Church in Winona, MN. They honeymooned at a resort near Minocqua WI, but don’t ask for pictures. Bob will surely share stories of toasting champagne with jelly jars, and the holes in the walls of the cabin they stayed in, but don’t dare ask for a picture… they had a disaster with their new Kodak camera and after turning in three rolls of film for developing, found out the camera shutter was stuck and no pictures could be developed.   Thank goodness for wonderful memories!

In fall of 1956 they returned to San Diego and both taught school. On weekends and vacations, they traveled to Mexico with friends often, enjoying the lobster and shrimp meals. They also enjoyed volleyball at the beach at Marine Street in La Jolla…even losing Bob’s wedding ring once! The volleyball game stopped, the scavenger hunt began and to everyone’s surprise, they found Bob’s ring in the sand. Edie and Bob also spent time listening to big band music and dancing.   There once was even a ‘chair dance’!

In 1963 they started their family. They had two children:   Bruce (1963-1988) and later in 1968 with Pamela of Lakewood, CA.   Edie was a caring mom, supervising numerous Boy Scout adventures, Job’s Daughters activities and making sure that family dinners occurred every night. Edie enjoyed cooking for the family and especially enjoyed spending time with family and friends.

Since both Bob and Edie were school teachers, they had a unique opportunity every summer to vacation in Wisconsin and Minnesota visiting family. Although they did enjoy vacations in Alaska, Mexico, Hawaii, Canada and across the United States, they usually spent the majority of the time at Edie’s parents’ cottage in Minnesota. The cottage was on the Mississippi River and the family spent time fishing (especially Bob), canoeing, water skiing, hitting golf balls into the Mississippi River, sleeping in the barn with the bats, gardening, playing cribbage with friends and planning an annual Fish Fry for the neighborhood. Edie took great pride in frying all the fish for this get-together and was a keen hostess, always making sure everyone was taken care of.   The cottage will always be a special place for Edie and Bob, as well as the extended family. Edie also enjoyed planting a garden during the summer, where pole beans, squash, raspberries (from Bob’s original family plantings), and cucumbers were not only stolen by visiting rabbits and deer, but were made into delicious raspberry jam and pickles! The tradition of making raspberry jam never stopped, although they were no longer made from Bob’s family raspberry plants, Edie still put love in every batch.

After retiring from teaching, Edie worked at the Presbyterian Church preschool part-time while raising her two children. Later, she also worked at the church thrift shop for many years…enjoying the camaraderie with other staff as well as all the shoppers that came in looking for a bargain.

Edie was very active in Daughters of the Nile and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and other Masonic-related organizations. She enjoyed the time spent sewing with the ladies, creating marches for the Patrol, participating in the performances and even traveling for the annual convention a time or two.

Edie loved to sew and was a skilled seamstress. In the early years of their marriage, she sewed suits for Bob and later taught her daughter Pamela how to sew as well. Edie loved to entertain friends and enjoyed cooking and baking. She had a sweet tooth and would never turn down a good dark chocolate!

Edie had a green thumb and loved to grow flowers, especially scented sweet peas and Phalaenopsis orchids…and if you ever drove with her on a Saturday, she was willing to stop at any garage sale in search of an antique or a great bargain. She was an avid coupon clipper and sale shopper and would show Bob the receipts where she saved tons!

Christmas was especially festive in the Jesse household as she loved creating themed Christmas trees each year. Her favorites were the small fishing tree and the larger crystal, teddy bear and most recently the cookie cutter tree!

In August 2016 Bob and Edie celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, a special occasion attended by family and friends to recognize a beautiful partnership and love affair. Bob presented to Edie a beautiful diamond ring, engraved with “All my love” to commemorate the occasion. Edie wore this ring every day until her passing.

The family celebrated Edie’s 84th birthday twice…once on February 5th with a meal at World Famous in Pacific Beach with her husband, daughter, sister, and niece Susan and again on February 6th with husband and daughter and a huge plateful of Chinese food! A delightful time was had by all.

Edie is survived by her husband, Robert “Bob” and daughter Pamela who lives in Lakewood, CA, where Bob will be living too, sister Mildred MacGregor (Sierra Vista, AZ) and her brother Robert Dopke (Traverse City, MI).

Services will be held on Saturday, March 11, 2017

At 2:00pm

La Jolla Masonic Lodge

5655 La Jolla Boulevard

La Jolla, CA 92037

With reception to follow at the Jesse home nearby.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Chordoma Foundation or Scottish Rite Speech and Hearing Clinic.

Luyben Dilday Mortuary (562) 425-6401