Delores Jean Williams

Dolores Jean Williams, 75, of Island City, died Jan 27 at her home.

A celebration of life will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday at The Place on Philynda Lane off of Buchanan Lane next to A/C Electric (the original Rambling Rotors location.) A private family graveside was held earlier at Summerville Cemetery.

Dolores was born Sept. 27, 1934, to Robert and Jeanette (Jones) Humlicek in Red Oak, Iowa. Her father moved the family to La Grande in 1948 while working for UPPR. She graduated from La Grande High School in 1952. She worked at the Liberty, State and Granada theaters. Later she worked at the American Optical Co. above what is now Red Cross Drug and also worked at Woolworths Five & Dime Store.

On Aug. 30, 1953, she married Wm. L. Knight in Milton-Freewater. In 1963, the couple started Rambling Rotors Helicopter Service. They divorced in 1981. In the 1980s, she attended La Grande Business College and became a medical transcriptionist. She also went to floral design school in Portland and worked at Fitzgerald's and Cherry's Florist.

In 1983, she worked for CHD. While working there, she was instrumental in getting computers for the program, those who knew her say. She retired from CHD in 1994.

On March 7, 1987, she married Thomas L. Williams in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. They separated in 2001. She and her daughter owned Stop-N-Crop Scrapbook Store from 1988 to 2003.

She was an active member of Damascus Road Ministries, Women's Connection Stone Croft Ministries, Grande Ronde Wheelers RV Group, Beta Theta Sorority, Classic Lassies Red Hatters and the Class of 1952 reunion committee as well as many other organizations over her lifetime.

Those who knew her say she loved her Lord and sharing his message. She loved spending time with family and friends, history, education, crossword puzzles, traveling, gardening, genealogy, cardmaking and scrapbooking.

She is survived by her estranged husband, Tom; children, Kemit Knight (Linda) and Lisa Wright (Leigh) of La Grande; sister, Karen Fletcher (Ken) of Olalla, Wash.; half sister, Lynne Arndell (John) of Dayton, Nev.; stepchildren, Sandy Carsen (Lyle) of Bothell, Wash., Mike Williams (Val) of Baker City, Byron Williams of Parker, Colo., and Lola Shaw (Brian) of La Grande; four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; 17 step-grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her first-born son, Brian Merrill Knight, and her parents.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Cancer Society or any other charity.

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