Dorothy May (Price) Boardrow, 88, of died peacefully in her sleep on March 14, 2005.
At her request there will be no services.
Dorothy was born Dorothy May Daniel on May 28, 1916, in Monroe, Mich., the third of four children. She headed west with her family at a very young age, living in Colorado, Portland, and Wolf Creek, Ore. At the age of 18, Dorothy regularly delivered mail and supplies by muleback in harrowing trips from Wolf Creek to a mining camp high in the mountains.
In 1934 Dorothy married Robert Price. They had three daughters. In 1940 the family moved to Pondosa, where they lived until the town was dismantled in 1958. She believed in volunteer service. During World War II she volunteered as an airplane spotter, and was very proud of the wings she earned for her efforts. She was an excellent seamstress, and taught sewing and cooking in 4-H. She was a Girl Scout leader, enjoyed nature, and spent many weekends camping. At home, she was skilled in upholstery, carpentry, wallpapering, painting, and small appliance repair. She loved growing flowers and was known for her wonderful sweetpeas.
During the Eastern Oregon winters of the ’40s and ’50s, the BC&T logging train would sometimes bury itself in snowdrifts between Pondosa and Telocaset. Dorothy’s job was to deliver coffee and sandwiches to the crew while they dug out the train, usually in the dark of night. She would drive as close to the stalled train as she could and then hike in through deep snowdrifts to deliver the food. To find the train, she would blow through her hands to make a sound like a train whistle that friends said could be heard for miles. (She retained this ability nearly all her life.) The train crew would hear her and blow the train whistle to guide her. She was frequently accompanied on these late-night jaunts by one of her daughters and a wild snowshoe rabbit or two.
She and Robert divorced in the early ’60s. Many years later she married Ralph Boardrow, who shared her love for traveling the country and exploring new places.
Dorothy is survived by her three daughters: Sara Price of Elgin, Susan MacLeod of Beaverton, and Bobbi Kremer of Elgin; six grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren; and several nieces.
She leaves us with stories that in our times seem larger than life, and memories of her practical wit and philosophy. She is sorely missed by all her family and many friends.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, March 18, 2005
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor