I recently sat down for an afternoon with my former neighbor Doreen Morken. On May 20, Doreen turned 95, but you wouldn’t know it based on her incredible memory and physical health.
Born in 1921 in North Dakota, Doreen married at 21 and moved to Washington in the early 50s after her husband, Edwin Morken, was drafted into the Army infantry. There she made the Pacific Northwest her home for the next several decades. “Eddy eventually retired from the post office,” she said about her husband. “We were together for 49 years. He loved music and played the accordion.”
Living in Port Townsend and Belmont throughout the years, the couple eventually moved to Centralia in 1988 and Doreen worked at the knitting mills for years. She later transitioned into a domestic engineer for four years. “It was basically like cleaning housework. I love housework and cleaning,” she told me simply.
When asked what she loves most about Centralia she mentioned neighbors. “The people and it’s a good location between Portland and Seattle, the mountains and ocean. And I’ve always had good neighbors,” she chuckled.
Doreen is a great grandmother to seven and very recently became a great, great grandmother to a baby girl. She holds her family close and in high regards. “I have the best family in the world. I love being a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and now a great, great grandmother. I love them all and I know they all love Grammy,” she smiled.
Some years ago, she dedicated herself to keeping her daughter’s last wish for the family to all stay together. Nicknamed and known to everyone as Bunny, Doreen’s daughter lost her battle to cancer and to keep her memory and wish alive, the family comes together for one dinner a month. “We’ve kept it up,” Doreen says. “There’s around twelve of us for each gathering.” But Doreen still worries about her loved ones and the world they grow up in. “I wish the world was more settled. I just think about my kids and what they’ve got to grow up into.”
This unbelievably tough woman spends her days mowing the lawn, tending to her flowers, and being outside as much as possible, only on those rare sunny days. When I asked about her list of tasks on daily a basis, Doreen said, “I get up early, take care of the house and yard if I have to.” She hesitated a moment. “I have a dog!” she told me excitedly. Ah, yes, Mia was the one that first greeted me at the door with her cute, little bark. Mia is nine-years-old and a very excitable, fluffy Chihuahua.
“I’m just a homebody. I watch the Cooking Network and the Mariners play, that’s all I need. I like the Mariners, even if they do lose,,” she admitted reluctantly.
When talking technological advances since she was a little girl, Doreen mentioned that she “wasn’t up on any of that stuff. We didn’t have electricity or indoor plumbing back then and I used to have a one-room schoolhouse. It was basically like Little House on the Prairie.”
And when asked how it feels to be 95, her response was just as to-the-point as her entire interview. “I don’t know. It’s just a number, if you feel good. As of yet, I don’t take any medication,” she said proudly.
Doreen may be just one of the countless neighbors of Centralia, Washington, but she’s unique in her endless loving nature and great perseverance to stay the family matriarch for many years to come.
