Dorothy Eva Van Aken

Dorothy Eva Smith Van Aken was born Jan. 24, 1915 in Sandy, Oregon to Oscar Lemuel Smith and Pearl Eva Daugherty. She spent many years in Yakima, Washington, where she married her high school sweetheart, Cornelius Christopher Van Aken. One of eleven children, Dorothy maintained close connections with her siblings throughout her long life. Dorothy, her husband and their two children moved to Hayward, California in 1950. She worked as an elementary school secretary for the Hayward Unified School District and was an actively involved PTA officer. In the early 1960s, the family moved to Southern California where she resumed her career as an elementary school secretary at La Tijera School in Inglewood. After retirement, she moved to Issaquah, Washington to be near family. Four years ago, she relocated to Fremont, California be near one of her daughters and a grandson. She was always very proud of her large, close-knit family. She was known for her spirit of adventure, positive attitude, sharp mind, and unquenchable sense of humor. Dorothy is survived by her brothers Melvyn Smith and Ed Smith; daughters Jeanette Pearl Van Aken Mahoney and Cornelia Mary Van Aken; grandsons John Damen Mahoney, Jonathan Julius Sanks, and Alexander Cornelius Sanks; granddaughter Denise Mahoney; great grandsons Graham Mahoney, Jack Mahoney, and Rory Mahoney; and great granddaughter Addison Marie Sanks.