Dolphia Blocker, wife of the late Bonanza Star Dan Blocker died April 19 of a stroke in a hospital near her old home in Santa Barbara, her eldest son, producer David Blocker, said. Hollywood Reporter. She was 93 years old.
She first met her future husband when they were both studying at Sul Ross State Teachers College in Alpine, Texas. The college sweethearts married in September 1952 after he returned from a tour of duty in the US Army in the Korean War, during which he was awarded the Purple Heart.
Dan was an elementary school teacher in New Mexico when he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting in late 1956 or early 1957 with Dolphia and their three young children, twin girls Dana and Debbie (born 1953) and David (born 1955). The couple’s second son, Dirk, was born in Hollywood shortly after their arrival. All four kids would take karate lessons from Chuck Norris.
On NBC Bonanzathe much-loved Blocker portrayed gentle giant Hoss Cartwright in more than 400 episodes over 13 seasons, from 1959 through 1972. He died at age 43 in Inglewood Hospital on May 13, 1972, of a pulmonary embolism following gallbladder surgery.
One of the most famous programs in the history of television, Bonanza It lasted just one 15-episode season without him, with Cartwright family members Ben (Lorne Greene) and Little Joe (Michael Landon) mourning Hoss (Blocker’s character had died in an unspecified accident).
Dolphia Lee Parker was born on July 29, 1932 in Shattuck, Oklahoma. She and her five siblings grew up living what her family called the quintessential rural Texas farm life.
In order to provide the children with more opportunities, their mother, Gladys, had them spend the school year in Alpine, where Dolphia graduated from high school and then attended Sul Ross. She was only 39 years old when her husband died, and she “managed to keep the family close through the children’s teenage years,” her family noted.
Despite the popularity of Dan’s role in… Bonanza “While normal life was difficult, he and Dolphia remained true to the core of their lives: devotion to family, to each other, and to causes such as civil rights, peace, and justice, which were an inextricable part of their family culture,” they added.
When the children were grown, she moved to Santa Barbara and lived there for nearly 40 years, traveling, writing poetry, supporting causes, keeping her grandchildren for extended periods, and hosting vacations.
The family said: “Her children remained close to her, most of whom lived in Santa Barbara, where they were attracted by the indescribable spiritual presence that emanated from him and that was felt by all who met her.” “While she loved her family unconditionally, she was also a wonderful example of tolerance, acceptance, patience, and love for others.”
David Blocker is a producer with credits including Alan Rudolph A problem in the mind (1985) and Modernists (1988), Michael Apted flash (1994) and Sean Penn In the wild (2007), while Dirk Blocker is an actor known for his role as clueless detective Michael Hitchcock in the 2013-21 Fox-NBC sitcom Brooklyn nine nine.
In addition to her children, survivors include five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and her two sisters, Shirley and Janice.
