Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Demetra “Dee” Corene Apperson, 67, a resident of The Dalles, Ore., beloved domestic partner, sister, friend and colleague, died at her home Sept. 25, 2022. She was born May 5, 1955, in Charleston, S.C., to Demetra “Rene” Platt-Lewis and Julian Platt.
Dee graduated from Grants Pass High School in 1973 and studied pre-nursing curriculum at Oregon State University right after high school. She graduated from College of the Redwoods in Crescent City with her LVN-RN in 1984 and earned her BS in nursing from OHSU in 1999. Dee worked at Rogue Valley Medical Center and covered surgical, medical, general cardiac care and was a charge nurse and interim nurse manager. She was an ICU and ER nurse at Mid-Columbia Medical Center and spent time volunteering and was an EMS Captain with Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue. Dee was active with the Oregon Nurses Association and held several positions as well as being on the board of directors.
Dee was an avid scuba diver and traveled extensively with her, domestic partner, Walt, and she achieved more than two hundred dives. She loved to snowmobile and belonged to the Columbia Gorge Power Sledders and was an avid lover of Disneyland, which she would visit almost yearly. Dee was an animal lover her entire life and some of her favorites were dogs, dolphins and whales.
Dee was survived by her domestic partner, Walt Denstedt; sister and brother-in-law, Cathy and Cameron Zandol; niece, Emma Bolander; daughter-in-law, Larissa Apperson; granddaughter, Alyssa Apperson; sister and brother-in-law Larry and Anita Wolf; and sister-in-law Audrey Hurlburt. She was preceded in death by her children, Jeff and Dru Apperson, her parents Rene Platt-Lewis, Julian Platt, and stepmother, Martha Platt.
A memorial gathering will be held Oct. 15, 2022 at 1 p.m. at the Sunshine Mill Winery, 901 E. Second St., The Dalles, to remember her and celebrate her life.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Home At Last Humane Society via mail, 200 River Road, The Dalles, OR 97058, or please make a tribute donation in her name to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.
I was so saddened to hear about Dee’s passing. I had the privilege of working with Dee at MCMC and greatly admired her nursing ability, her professionalism and her patient advocacy. She was always there for others and was a friend to all. Thank you Dee for all of your service to others. You have certainly left a positive impact on us all. Regina
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I was so saddened to hear about Dee’s passing. I had the privilege of working with Dee at MCMC and greatly admired her nursing ability, her professionalism and her patient advocacy. She was always there for others and was a friend to all. Thank you Dee for all of your service to others. You have certainly left a positive impact on us all. Regina
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.