Jeannette Elizabeth Akiko Dores

Jeannette Elizabeth Akiko (Saiki) Dores (1951-2026) passed away on August 14th, 2026.

Jean was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 28, 1951, the third child of Natalie (Kami) Saiki (1920-1997) and Kazuo Saiki (1910-1981), and sister to Sanford Saiki (1940-1996) and Theodore Saiki (1942-2000). In 1954 the family moved to San Francsico, California where Jean attended St. Peter’s grammar school in the Mission District. She graduated from Cathedral High School in 1965 and was the salutatorian for her class and then completed a B.S. degree in biology at the University of San Francisco in 1974.

In 1973 she met Robert M. Dores, a graduate student in biology at USF, and the couple were married on August 16th, 1975. They would enjoy nearly 51 years of marriage and during that period they would welcome two sons into this world, Michael Robert Dores (1980) and Anthony Robert Dores (1990). In 1984 the family moved to Denver, Colorado where Bob started his 40-year career as a biology professor at the University of Denver, and Jean joined the secretarial pool at AT&T. Jean’s career blossomed at AT&T and by 1988 she was the administrative assistant for the regional vice president of the company. This position would showcase her exceptional organizational skills. In 1990 Jean moved to Lucent Technologies to train in their project manager program and over the next 16 years she consistently improved on her skills as a leader, a compassionate and caring motivator of her colleagues, and as an employee who always gave 110% to the company. Jean retired from her position in the telecommunication industry in 2016. 

While a working mother she helped nurture both Michael and Anthony into the young professionals that they are today. She reveled in Michael’s promotions through the academic ranks to professor with tenure in the biology department at Hofstra University (Long Island, N.Y.) and Anthony’s ascent through the ranks of the aquarium science industry to his current position as senior curator for life support at the Virginia Aquarium (Virginia Beach, VA). She was the motivating force behind Bob’s successful career at the University of Denver, and during the 16-years that he was chair of the biology department, Jean was his unofficial “chief-of-staff”. In short Jean was integral to the success of all our careers. 

During “her time” Jean loved to read science fiction and fantasy books, watch documentaries on archeological expeditions and space science, and make an occasional visit to Colorado’s local casinos and Las Vegas, but her passion was travel. She loved visiting relatives in Hawaii, but she was most excited about visits to Scotland, England, and Italy. Jean will be remembered as a person who left a deep impression on the individuals she encountered. She was a loyal friend, a compassionate “big aunty”, a caring cousin and sister-in-law, a loving mother and spouse. Her gregarious nature, unique sense of humor, and her ability to inspire has touched us all. She will be missed but never forgotten.

 A memorial service is planned for October 3rd at 11:00 AM at the Horan-McConaty Cremation Garden, 5303 E. County Line Rd., Centennial, Colorado 80122 (303 221-0030). If you plan to attend, please contact R.M. Dores at robert.dores@du.edu by 09/23/2026.

 In place of flowers please send donations to the Denver Dumb Friends League.