Doris Lee Bias

(Doris) Lee Bias returned to her mother’s waiting embrace on Wednesday May 7th, at the age of 71. She passed peacefully in her home surrounded by her loved ones. It was only three months after she had found out that her cancer had returned.

Lee was born on September 4th, 1953, in Torrance California to Morris Bias and Marjorie MacLean. She was the sixth of seven children to her mother. She was raised, with her younger sister Morrene, by their father after their mother was tragically killed in a car accident when she was only four years old. He moved them around quite a bit but settled in the northern Utah valley. It was here that he did what she said was the greatest thing he’d ever done for her, which was having them baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Lee graduated in the top of her class from Box Elder High School in 1971, also earning a small scholarship. She attended for two semesters at LDS Business College before life had other plans.

On January 20, 1973, Lee married Dan Petersen, and they had three sons Lawrence, Corey, and Casey. After Danny’s death, she was sealed to Michael Fife in the Ogden temple on August 3, 1979. Michael adopted the boys, and they added three more children Joshua, Jared, and Alisha. It was always very important to her that her children were raised together as one family.

In 1990 Lee returned to school, receiving her Bachelor of Integrated Studies degree from Weber State University in 1995. Along with going to school and raising children, she worked many different jobs to bring in a second income for the family. She had a strong work ethic and taught her children the importance of hard work.

On July 28, 2003, while living in southern Utah, Lee was in an ATV accident breaking her back and almost losing her life. Only a month before her 50th birthday she had to learn how to live life completely differently, as a paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair. This gave her a completely different perspective on what was important in life, and she found bravery and strength that even she didn’t know she had.

It took a few years, but Lee had become well established in Salt Lake City. Living on her own she had mastered getting around and was even on a committee for the disabled with the Utah Transit Authority. She showed her bravery once again when she picked up and had to re-establish herself, moving to Sacramento California with her daughter in March of 2014.

Lee was a woman of great faith and really enjoyed being a member of the LDS church. She held many positions in the church throughout her life, but her favorite was teaching the children in primary school. She always believed that families are forever, and she would be with them again someday.

Lee was known for her love of collecting things like music, movies, dolls, and vintage sewing patterns. She always had great music playing in her home and was known to bust out some 4corners or other popular dances before her accident. Her greatest passion and talent, though, was sewing. She started in high school making a lot of her own clothes. She made her wedding dress when she married Michael, and many things for her children as they grew. She only became more impressed when she had to learn how to do it one handed after her accident. She created “Lee’s Sewing Corner” making doll clothes, baby items, and little girls dresses to sell. She would also make alterations for people in her building, ward, and of course her grandchildren. Anytime something needed mending they would say “I’ll give it to grandma, she can fix it!”, and she would happily.

Lee’s greatest love in life was her children and grandchildren! She helped her daughter by tending to her grandchildren a couple of times a week while she went to work. She savored the time she spent with any of her grandchildren and made sure they knew how much she loved them.

Lee was preceded in death by both her parents, her brother Robert (Tina) Dean, and her sister Jenine Cullen. Surviving are her siblings Joy (Ray, deceased) French, Thomas (Luanne) Dean, Steven (Kathy) Dean, and Morrene Stewart. Her children Lawrence Fife (François Hamel), Corey (Cari) Fife, Casey (Jolie) Petersen, Joshua (Cicely Senten) Fife, Jared (Mike) Dickson, Alisha (Woody) Clark, her eight grandsons, and three granddaughters.

Viewing and Funeral Service:

Viewing- Thursday 5/29 at W F Gormley & Sons Funeral home, 2015 Capitol Ave, Sacramento 95811 from 12-4 pm

Viewing and Funeral- Friday 5/30 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 3001 Wissemann Dr, Sacramento 95826. Viewing 10:30-11 am, Funeral Service 11 am, and cemetery burial at 3 pm. She will be laid to rest near her mother at Peoples Cemetery 345 Pixley Ave, San Andreas CA 95249