Dolores Ann Kan

Passed Away February 9, 2024 peacefully in her home in Benicia, California surrounded by friends. Dolores is preceded in death by her father, Leo Hollenkamp and her mother Ester Johnson Hollenkamp, and her sister Bernice Hollenkamp. Dolores did not serve in the Armed Forces She attended Santa Rosa Junior College for 2 years After Junior College she worked for the Santa Rosa Parks and Recreation Department She began her law enforcement career 45 years ago in Albany, California and eventually moved to the Bart Police Force where she became the first female Captain to serve She moved to Benicia, California 45 years ago and lived there until her passing. Dolores was always kind, loving and supportive to all of her extended family members and neighbors. • Kristi Slatt - Holiday Hutch member: I was still working and my two amigas were enjoying the retirement life (Dolores and Donna). On a day off, we would explore Berkeley. The re-use it store, thrift stores and any other place that caught our attention. We loved to go to "other" craft shows to if we could recruit new vendors for Holiday Hutch. Loved driving down the road and Dolores would say "well, there's a (three numbers) in progress. Of course, we had no clue what that meant. We'd ask and she'd explain. Loved those days!! Will miss her so much. • Linnea Swenson, close friend and neighbor • Julie Hilsabeck, best friend Dolores lived a life full of accomplishments. Those around her were blessed to have her in their lives. A trailblazer for women with 22 years as a BART cop ending as Captain. 👮♀️ She wouldn’t listen to music when traveling or even around the house. She would listen to “talk” radio because she was accustomed to hearing voices while on the job. Her skills as a seamstress 🪡 were impeccable as was her taste and style. She belonged to several organizations focused on sewing: the Walnut Creek chapter of the American Sewing Guild, the Valley Stitchers, the Bodega Bay Girls, the Contra Costa Quilt Guild, and others. Her primary goal for taking numerous sewing classes was to construct a well made, fitted pair of pants. She was still working on that goal 3 years ago. She was no nonsense and had a wit as sharp as a tack. She doted on her poodles Sammy and Willie. 🐩 She enjoyed volunteering at the library 📚 working with The Friends of the Library to sort book donations for the sale. I imagine more than one of her friends benefited from this activity, I certainly did! She loved supporting the home teams, be it the Giants ⚾️, the 49ers &#55356;� or the Warriors &#55356;� Even when at a sewing retreat in the Sierra Nevada mountains, she made every effort to get the ball game on the radio. She made the absolute best desserts! &#55356;� She was an incredible listener (and had the best hearing ever!) 😊 Dolores was a wonderful teacher, friend and neighbor. ❤️ •. Shirley Crooks, close friend and sewing sister: Dolores Kan has been my friend for at least 30 years. We met at American Sewing Guild and later both joined Valley Stitchers, a group of women who love all forms of needle art. I believe she helped organize a group of talented women who displayed their crafts at a yearly Holiday Hutch boutique every November. Those of us who had gone for several years knew it was best to arrive on opening evening before some items had sold out. Her talent did not stop with needlework. Until this year, when visiting her at her apartment in The Kensington in Walnut Creek, I did not know she also was also a fine watercolorist. Several beautiful paintings decorated the walls. When asked if she had painted any of these, she simply said that she took some classes and did them there. She and I attended multiple sewing and craft shows together including the big Sewing and Craft Exposition held in Puyallup, Washington, which we attended 3 times. We also shared a fondness for the same dessert at the end of a meal—coconut cream pie.

Dolores Ann Kan

December 1, 1938 - February 9, 2024