Dorthy Nelson Peacock

Dorthy Nelson Peacock, 86, died December 18, 2005 at her home in Alicel. She was buried next to her husband in the Summerville Cemetery.

Mrs. Peacock was born April 29, 1919, to Ole and Mabel Nelson in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1927 she traveled with her mother and stepfather, Charles Buckmaster, to Brooks in a Model T Ford. She married William Peacock in Albany on November 9, 1935. In their 43 years of marriage, the couple spent 12 years in Alaska trapping and working with the Civil Aviation Administration. Running behind a dog sled and keeping house in a rustic on-room cabin were daily events during those years. In 1947 the family moved to western Oregon and began logging and operating portable sawmills. They moved to Northeast Oregon in 1956 and set up a sawmill on the face of Mount Harris. Within a few years the sawmill was moved down to the valley floor, to Alicel, where it operated until 1995.

Mr. Peacock died in 1978 in an accident. Following her husband's death, Mrs. Peacock became involved in the family sawmill, the La Grande Soroptomist Club, the CETA Board, the Red Cross, Peoples Savings and Loan and PEO. Particularly dear to her was her service in the La Grande First Christian Church. She was a Sunday school teacher, a youth leader, a trustee, an elder and active member of Christian Women's Fellowship. Mrs. Peacock loved outdoor activities, including camping, hunting and fishing. She was often in deer camp on Mount Harris, keeping things in order as family and friends came and went. But not to be outdone, Mrs. Peacock often got her deer or elk to help with the winter meat supply. She was also tireless as a fisherman. Mrs. Peacock was also a world traveler, finding her way to the Caribbean, Hawaii, Australia, Canada, Norway, Japan and other countries, as well as taking her big green motor home to much of the United States. Flower gardening and watching birds were also favorite pasttimes, along with reading, dancing and laughing at a good story. Nothing was more important, her family says, than family and friends.

Survivors include her sons and their wives, Bill and Jane Peacock, Bob & Dorothy Peacock and Rick and Bobbi Peacock; seven grandchildren; five great grandchildren; her self-proclaimed "sister" and her husband, Alice and Walt Rhode; nieces, nephews and many other relatives and friends.

Memorials can be made to the First Christian Church Memorial Fund, the Salvation Army or the the PEO Education Scholarship Fund.