Dorothy Ellen Thompson

Dorothy Ellen Thompson died suddenly on February 24, 2019, in Albany, Oregon.  She was born on January 17, 1942, in Grants Pass, Oregon.  Dorothy was the youngest daughter of Martin R. Thompson and Evelyn E. (Cridland) Thompson, descended from Norwegian and English immigrants to North Dakota. She was preceded in death by older siblings Robert L. Thompson, Faye Lindemann Tayler, and Elizabeth Joan Hogan.

Dorothy attended Grants Pass High School and trained as a florist.  She then worked for many years in Portland in the banking industry, rising to a position where she was responsible for training staff across Oregon during the time that banking was first computerized.

She decided to further her education and gained a degree from Oregon State University in 1978.  She spent two years in the Peace Corps in Western Samoa (an island in the Pacific) helping village women learn to raise poultry.

Dorothy returned to Oregon when the economy was in a recession, so she moved to Santa Rosa, and then to Petaluma, California.  There she opened her own floral shop, Pocketful of Posies, which she ran until semi-retirement.  She later worked for Safeway in their floral department and retired to Albany, Oregon in 2017.  

Dorothy made friends everywhere she went, was a wonderful auntie and mentor to her wider family, especially her nieces and nephews.  She left many happy memories and will be sadly missed.  

An open house memorial service to celebrate Dorothy’s life will be held on Saturday, March 9 from 1-3 PM at AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home in Albany.  

AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home is handling the arrangements (www.aasum-dufour.com). 

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