It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dotti Bok. She passed away 20 days shy of her 93rd birthday in hospice care at her daughter, Christine Bok-Osborne’s home, in Novato, CA.
Dotti was born in Guttenberg, Iowa, along the Mississippi River. She was raised in Oelwein, Iowa, by Mother, Francis M. Channer and Father, Malcolm J. Channer. She was a child during the great depression. She was a senior in high school when she heard on the radio that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. Her father said it meant war.
She was a graduate of the University of Iowa, School of Nursing, having earned a Bachelor of Science and a Registered Nursing Degree from 1947 to 1953. She was a Staff Nurse at the University of Iowa Hospital, in Iowa City, Iowa.
She married Frank J. Bok, a first-generation Czechoslovakian, from Berwyn, Illinois. Frank played on the University of Iowa baseball team as a pitcher. Frank was a graduate of the school of Physical Education. He went on to get a Master’s Degree at University of Iowa in P.E. Frank also coached the Long Beach State Baseball Team. Frank completed his P.H.D., in Physical Therapy, at the UOI and later started the Physical Therapy Program at Long Beach State University, and taught for 30 years until his passing in 1987.
Dotti and Frank moved to California and took jobs in Hopeville, CA. Frank had a PE job and Dotti took a Public Health Nursing job on the Mexican border. She did maternal health, child health, infectious diseases, and well-baby clinics. Dotti worked in Iowa City, Iowa, and Long Beach, CA, for the Veterans Hospitals opening a new Radioisotope Ward in Iowa City. She worked on radioactive therapy doing thyroid studies on patients.
In Long Beach, she taught LVN’s and worked on the Oncology Ward with radioisotope patients. She was the Head Nurse in Iowa City and a Staff Nurse in Long Beach. In 1965, she was a substitute School Nurse in Long Beach College. In 1968, she was the School Nurse at Pine Junior High. She then went on to be the School Nurse for Cypress High School. In 1975-76, she earned a M.A. in Psychology at Azusa Pacific. In 1980, she counseled at a runaway home in Los Alamitos, CA. She was the manager at the Great Earth Vitamin Store. She did wellness and nutritional counseling with customers, supervising vitamin and mineral programs.
In 1975, Frank and Dotti divorced. Dotti then moved to Sierra County where she took a job with the Sierra Office of Education, as a Rural School Nurse. She commuted in her Subaru’s to all of the rural schools in Sierra County, with her friend and Speech Therapist, Suzi Schoensee. They had many memorable adventures together.
Later, she took a job to work in the Plumas County Health Department. She worked in Adult Protective Services and then care for AIDS patients, caring for their every need.
Dotti loved to walk in the woods and visit the river near her home in Graeagle. She was a fly fisherwoman, golfer, skier, and kayaker. She participated in many Relay for Life fundraisers having survived cancer twice.
Dotti is survived by her daughter, Christine Bok-Osborne, of Novato, CA and her son, Alan J. Bok (Mary), of Youngstown, AZ. Her son, Andrew M. Bok, passed away in 2018. Also surviving her are Christine’s three sons; Nelson Osborne and his fiancé Wesley Rhoads of Condon, MT, and her great-granddaughter, Hazel Dorothy Osborne, Marco Osborne and his girlfriend, Lajla of Verdi, NV and Logan Osborned, and his girlfriend, Maddy of Novato, CA. Also surviving her is her ex-son-in-law, Neal Osborne of Arcata, CA.
Andrew’s two son’s Travis Bok of Blairsden, CA, and United States Airforce Staff Serjeant, Channer Bok and his wife, Amber N. Bok, of Portland, OR. Also, surviving her is her ex-daughter-in-law, Theresa Rav, of Lake County City, CA.
Alan’s daughter, Sierra Bok Calvett, and her two daughters; Stella and Ophelia, of Georgia. Dotti’s great granddaughters.
Also surviving Dotti, is her beloved sister, Phyllis Powell and her husband, Dr. Robert Powell of Kinglsey, Iowa and their children, Bill, Dani, Pam, Paul, and Cindy, and their families.
Dotti’s brother, Dr. John Channer, and predeceased her, his wife, Jessie Channer of Montana and their children, Mark, Luke, Kia, Linda, and Tom and their families.
Also surviving Dotti, are her dear friends, Suzi, Schoensee, Virginia Jaquez, Sharon Richwine, and Gwen Mansbridge. Friends who would do anything for her and our family.
Dotti was a world traveler who volunteered for many medical missions around the world. Wherever she went, strangers became friends. She was a positive spirit, a wannabee hippie, a new ager, and a friend to many! “Living in the now” mentor to many. A shining light for the human race.
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Graeagle Fire Hall in Graeagle, CA, on April 15th at 2:00 p.m. All those that knew her and loved her are welcome to attend. Please RSVP to [email protected] or call Christine at 415-686-8307.
Memorial donations can be made in Dotti’s name to the following charities that were dear to her heart; American Cancer Society, Operation Smile, Turtle Rescue or the Sierra Animal Rescue.
Dotti was cremated and her ashes will be interned at the historical Mohawk Cemetery, in Mohawk, CA, where her son, Andrew’s ashes are interned. Their ashes will be interned together.
