Dorothy Mattox Strong, 93, a Baker City native, died July 5, 2009, at St. Elizabeth Hospital.
Her funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Lennie Spooner of the First Church of the Nazarene will officiate. Vault interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception at Gray’s West and Co. afterward
Dorothy Wilma Mattox was born April 29, 1916, on the Curry ranch in Bowen Valley to William and Mary Mattox. A daughter of pioneers, her family was lured to Baker County for the gold mining.
After her father’s death, the family moved to Santa Rosa, Calif., for several years. Dorothy always remembered her years in California with great fondness.
Dorothy married Ellis “Joe” Strong in Baker City on April 26, 1946. They spent their years together in Baker City and Hermiston. After Joe retired from the Umatilla Army Depot they moved back to Baker City where they both became very active in the Senior Center. Joe died in October 2008.
From an early age, Dorothy had a love for painting. While living in Hermiston she began in earnest to work with oils and acrylics. She had several one-woman shows selling her work throughout the Northwest. Some of her paintings found their way to Europe.
She was a member of the National League of American Pen Women of Washington, D.C., and a charter member of The National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Dorothy was an avid reader and especially enjoyed archeological books and magazines. She was a baseball fan and rarely missed watching the World Series. Politics and current events were also special interests.
She will be missed by her two nieces, Betty Annis and Ruth McCandless, as well as special friends, Mitch and Paula Southwick.
Memorial contributions may be made to Community Connection though Gray’s West and Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, July 08, 2009
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor