Dorothy L. Lee

Dorothy Simmons was the cute girl next door. She was self-reliant, independent, adventurous and courageous. She, like most of us, was a product of her time and her response to the currents of life. Dorothy was intelligent but reserved; a dignified lady but not afraid to let her hair down. She lived alone but could be the life of the party. She had humble beginnings but never lost her humility, always thankful for the blessings in her life. She had difficulty showing her love to those she loved most but was kind to strangers and gave freely to those less fortunate than she.

One of her favorite Scripture Verses was Micah 6:8

"He has shown you Oh Man what is good

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act humble and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God"

That was how she lived her life.

Dorothy was born in Leavenworth, WA, the small Bavarian village in central Washington, on December 1, 1920. Dorothy Lucille (Simmons) Lee was the only child of Joseph Isaac Simmons and Myrtle Ellen (Klutts) Simmons.

Joseph Simmons, Dorothy’s father, like his father and grandfather before him, was an adventurous young man. Having been born in Texas and lived in Oklahoma, he left there at age twenty to find a new life in the Pacific Northwest. He returned to Oklahoma at the age of 46 to marry Myrtle Klutts who was then 27. Since Dorothy's parents were both older than most and being an only child, she spent a lot of time playing alone and with her kitty. Cats would become constant companions throughout her life. Some memorable ones were Squeaky, Missy, Ebony and Sooty.

During her grade school years Dorothy met and became best friends with Frances Stoudt. Frances was the only girl in a family with four brothers. Dorothy and Frances had a lot in common and she spent many happy days at the Stoudt farm located south of town and near the entrance to the Icicle River canyon. The two remained life long friends. Dorothy graduated from Leavenworth High School in June 1938.

Warren (Jack) Lee, her future husband, joined the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in 1936, and again in 1938, and was assigned to the Icicle River CCC Camp near Leavenworth, WA. In early spring 1938 Dorothy and Frances decided to attend a Saturday night dance that was frequented by the CCC boys. It was there that Dorothy and Jack met and began dating. Jack entered the following in his diary on April 20, 1938-“I met Dorothy Simmons, a girl in Leavenworth, and immediately I knew that I met the girl I would marry.”- Dorothy was married to Warren T (Jack) Lee on November 24, 1938 (Thanksgiving Day) at Jack’s sister’s home in Coulee City, WA.

Jack learned the surveying trade while at the CCC Camp and was later hired by the Bureau of Reclamation in Ephrata, WA for the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project that eventually turned thousands of acres of desert into productive farm land. Jack’s career as a surveyor took he and Dorothy to Lind, Connell, Colville, Hunters, Davenport, Electric City, Moses Lake, Warden, Royal Slope Camp (near Royal City), and Kennewick in Washington, and to Salem, Oregon.

The ten years between 1940 and 1950 were very difficult years for Dorothy. During this period she gave birth to her four children; Duane, JoAnne, David and Arthur. The family moved almost every year making it impossible for her to make and establish friendships, become involved in a community, or to establish a home that she could call her own. Many of the places she lived were by today’s standard stark or perhaps even primitive. Dorothy also lost both of her parents, her husband’s parents and her grand parents during this period and without siblings or close relatives had to carry a very heavy load.

Dorothy and her husband had to work very hard to raise four children with very little in the way of financial resources. That meant planting gardens, raising chickens, milking the cow, making bread, sewing clothes from feed sacks, canning in season and generally being very resourceful. She instilled this work ethic in her children.

Jack and Dorothy both supported their children in 4H, sports, scouting, and school extra curricular activities. Both volunteered as leaders and coaches and spent many hours taking the children to ball games and meetings and doing volunteer work. Their children were given considerable freedom to experience life but that freedom was defined by clear boundaries, lessons on responsibility, and severe discipline including corporal punishment with a leather belt.

Jack died in Salem in July 1961. After her husband’s death Dorothy began working outside the home for the first time. She worked as a bookkeeper; first at the Credit Union and then at Agri-Pac in West Salem. She retired in 1982.

After her children all left home Dorothy kept herself busy maintaining her home and a beautiful yard with numerous flower beds. She also loved to watch birds at a back yard bird feeder. It was during this time that she took up crocheting, furniture refinishing, flower arranging, and took several adult continuing education classes at Chemeketa Community College. She loved to read and had a special interest in National Geographic Magazines. She looked forward to the Reader’s Digest collections of short stories and novels.

Dorothy was a country girl at heart having been born and raised in the Central Cascades of Washington. Dorothy thoroughly enjoyed the out-of-doors and was an active member of the Chemeketan Outdoor Club. She loved taking day hikes all over Western Oregon with members of the club. She participated in several Annual Outings including the Saw Tooth Mountains in Idaho; Bitterroot Mountains, Idaho; Jasper, Canada; Wind River, Wyoming; Tetons, Wyoming; Ruby Mountains, Nevada; and Diamond Lake in Oregon. Her outdoor adventures also included field trips throughout Oregon with the Geology Club. She served as treasurer for both clubs for several years.

To satisfy an insatiable love for the out-of-doors she frequently joined David and his family on camping trips, hiking, backpacking, and car trips. She also enjoyed several white water rafting trips on the John Day River in Central Oregon and a week long float trip on the Owyhee River in Southeast Oregon.

Dorothy was not only adventurous but courageous. At age 75 David and Arthur escorted her, at her request, on a seven mile hike to sit at the base of her favorite mountain in the North Cascade Mountains, Mt. Shucksan. It was a very memorable moment to see her silhouetted at the base of the mountain and at Mirror Lake with Mt. Shucksan in the background.

At age 85 she agreed to take a car trip with her daughter, JoAnne, and her son-in-law Jay all the way to Alaska and even to Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean. This was her seventh trip to Alaska. Highlights of her trips were being able to stand on the Alaska Pipeline, put her hands in the Arctic Ocean, attend her great grand daughter’s wedding and hold her great-great grand daughter Elaina.

Dorothy loved her family and never turned down an opportunity to attend milestones whether it was birth of grandchildren, birthdays, graduations, weddings, or just holidays together. She traveled all the way to Boston Mass., and Providence, RI to visit her son Arthur and his family.

Dorothy had a quiet but deep faith in God. She first attended church with her mother at the small Nazarene Church in Leavenworth. The frequent moves and the responsibilities of raising a family made it difficult to impossible for her to attend church until she moved to Salem. In 1957 she began attending the Nazarene Church once again. Dorothy was an active member of the 1st Church of the Nazarene, active in her adult Sunday School Class, and loved to go on trips with the Golden Agers. She also participated in mission trips to Germany and Hawaii. Later in life Dorothy participated in compassionate ministries often visiting those who were sick or shut-in and could no longer attend church services.

Dorothy was strong willed and independent. She lived alone after her husband’s death until the age of 86. She then moved into The Springs at Sunnyview Retired Living Facility until she suffered a stroke. During the next year she lived with her daughter in Salem. In August of 2009 she moved into the Harmony House in Salem where she lived until her death. There she received loving care under the guidance of Michele Nixon. Her family will be forever grateful to Michele and her staff for the care, love, and compassion extended every day to Dorothy and her family.

Dorothy L Lee, 92, died peacefully in her sleep on March 6, 2013. She had a life that was well lived.

Dorothy is survived by her four children: F Duane Lee (Marian), JoAnne S Ponsford (Jay), David A Lee (Karen), and Arthur B Lee (Kay), nine grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, and ten great-great-grandchildren.