Dorothy Lucille (Pelley) Finch, of Grandview, died in her daughter Susan's home on the Satus on May 25, 2012.
Dorothy was born in Missoula, MT on April 9, 1920 to Robert and Georgia (Andrews) Pelley. She was raised in Charlo, MT in the shadow of the Mission Mountains during the depths of the Great Depression, as the seventh of twelve irreverent siblings. Until her death she was the last survivor of this remarkable group. She graduated from Charlo H.S. and attended Eastern Washington College, where she studied Home Economics and met Dallas Finch. In 1940 she left college to marry Dallas and begin a 62 year marriage to the love of her life.
The young couple set up housekeeping in the Yakima Valley, where Dallas taught music to students in Granger, Yakima, Sunnyside, Mabton and Grandview. Dorothy worked at a variety of jobs until she became the School Food Service Supervisor for the Grandview School District in 1956.
Working in the school food services, she was very active in the American School Food Service Association, fulfilling many leadership offices and ultimately serving on the ASFSA's national legislative committee. In that role she was an architect of and successful Congressional lobbyist for the legislation that instituted the national school breakfast program. Dorothy's work in school lunch was work in support of the wellbeing of all children. Her statement was, "At noon there are no rich kids or poor kids --- there are just hungry children, and you can't teach a hungry child."
In looking back at her school lunch career, Dorothy claimed two highlights of which she was particularly proud – her contribution to the national breakfast program and her invention of the Cheese Zombie. Folks were never certain which of these was the more important accomplishment.
Throughout her life, Dorothy was an exceptionally creative seamstress. Having sewn her own clothes for all of her teen years, she saw her first actual dress pattern when she arrived at college. The twirling corps of the 1940 Granger Band remembered for many years the attractive uniforms that she designed and created for them. When styles changed, she pegged all of the formerly bell-bottomed uniform trousers for the entire Mabton band. Her extended family benefited from Dorothy's creative talents --- everything from tricked-out hunting vests to cowhide trombone cases. Into her eighties she designed and sewed beautiful original wedding dresses for her granddaughters.
In her retirement she and Dallas began a small business designing, building and marketing 1 inch to 1 ft. overstuffed doll house furniture. Their work was so exquisite that their small local project expanded to a national market. Dorothy was particularly proud that their Bethany Furniture was sold at Neiman Marcus.
Her energy and creativity went beyond sewing. She and Dallas planted two acres of cherries and spent summers harvesting and selling them with their family. She also designed a number of remodel additions to her home. Her last home project was the redesign and the replacement of a carport, a project that had her on the roof pounding nails at the age of 80.
Dorothy and Dallas always enjoyed fishing, from sleeping with the porcupines to fly fish on Engels Creek in their younger days to angling for salmon and crab in the San Juans in later years.
The most important part of Dorothy's life was her love for her family.
She is survived by her children, Roger Finch and his wife Jane of Wapato; Susan Lewis and Sam Mosier of the Satus; Gail Howat and her husband Duncan; Bunny Finch, and Kiki Tommila and her husband Lloyd, all of Bellingham;and James Finch of Zillah. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 24 great-granchildren.
Her husband Dallas, her parents, eight brothers and three sisters preceded her in death.
Dorothy's family thanks the staff at Emerald Care in Wapato for their thoughtful and affectionate care of Mom in her final year, and the staff's of Avail and Hospice for making her final days beautiful.
A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 1:00 PM at the Smith Funeral Home Chapel, Sunnyside, WA. with an inurnment graveside service to follow at Lower Valley Memorial Gardens, Sunnyside, WA.
Those wishing to sign Dorothy's on line memorial book may do so at www.funeralhomesmith.com.
Smith Funeral Homes Ltd. in charge of arrangements.
Dorothy was born in Missoula, MT on April 9, 1920 to Robert and Georgia (Andrews) Pelley. She was raised in Charlo, MT in the shadow of the Mission Mountains during the depths of the Great Depression, as the seventh of twelve irreverent siblings. Until her death she was the last survivor of this remarkable group. She graduated from Charlo H.S. and attended Eastern Washington College, where she studied Home Economics and met Dallas Finch. In 1940 she left college to marry Dallas and begin a 62 year marriage to the love of her life.
The young couple set up housekeeping in the Yakima Valley, where Dallas taught music to students in Granger, Yakima, Sunnyside, Mabton and Grandview. Dorothy worked at a variety of jobs until she became the School Food Service Supervisor for the Grandview School District in 1956.
Working in the school food services, she was very active in the American School Food Service Association, fulfilling many leadership offices and ultimately serving on the ASFSA's national legislative committee. In that role she was an architect of and successful Congressional lobbyist for the legislation that instituted the national school breakfast program. Dorothy's work in school lunch was work in support of the wellbeing of all children. Her statement was, "At noon there are no rich kids or poor kids --- there are just hungry children, and you can't teach a hungry child."
In looking back at her school lunch career, Dorothy claimed two highlights of which she was particularly proud – her contribution to the national breakfast program and her invention of the Cheese Zombie. Folks were never certain which of these was the more important accomplishment.
Throughout her life, Dorothy was an exceptionally creative seamstress. Having sewn her own clothes for all of her teen years, she saw her first actual dress pattern when she arrived at college. The twirling corps of the 1940 Granger Band remembered for many years the attractive uniforms that she designed and created for them. When styles changed, she pegged all of the formerly bell-bottomed uniform trousers for the entire Mabton band. Her extended family benefited from Dorothy's creative talents --- everything from tricked-out hunting vests to cowhide trombone cases. Into her eighties she designed and sewed beautiful original wedding dresses for her granddaughters.
In her retirement she and Dallas began a small business designing, building and marketing 1 inch to 1 ft. overstuffed doll house furniture. Their work was so exquisite that their small local project expanded to a national market. Dorothy was particularly proud that their Bethany Furniture was sold at Neiman Marcus.
Her energy and creativity went beyond sewing. She and Dallas planted two acres of cherries and spent summers harvesting and selling them with their family. She also designed a number of remodel additions to her home. Her last home project was the redesign and the replacement of a carport, a project that had her on the roof pounding nails at the age of 80.
Dorothy and Dallas always enjoyed fishing, from sleeping with the porcupines to fly fish on Engels Creek in their younger days to angling for salmon and crab in the San Juans in later years.
The most important part of Dorothy's life was her love for her family.
She is survived by her children, Roger Finch and his wife Jane of Wapato; Susan Lewis and Sam Mosier of the Satus; Gail Howat and her husband Duncan; Bunny Finch, and Kiki Tommila and her husband Lloyd, all of Bellingham;and James Finch of Zillah. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 24 great-granchildren.
Her husband Dallas, her parents, eight brothers and three sisters preceded her in death.
Dorothy's family thanks the staff at Emerald Care in Wapato for their thoughtful and affectionate care of Mom in her final year, and the staff's of Avail and Hospice for making her final days beautiful.
A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 1:00 PM at the Smith Funeral Home Chapel, Sunnyside, WA. with an inurnment graveside service to follow at Lower Valley Memorial Gardens, Sunnyside, WA.
Those wishing to sign Dorothy's on line memorial book may do so at www.funeralhomesmith.com.
Smith Funeral Homes Ltd. in charge of arrangements.
Dorothy Lucille (Pelley) Finch, of Grandview, died in her daughter Susan's home on the Satus on May 25, 2012.
Dorothy was born in Missoula, MT on April 9, 1920 to Robert and Georgia (Andrews) Pelley. She was raised in Charlo, MT in the shadow of the Mission Mountains during the depths of the Great Depression, as the seventh of twelve irreverent siblings. Until her death she was the last survivor of this remarkable group. She graduated from Charlo H.S. and attended Eastern Washington College, where she studied Home Economics and met Dallas Finch. In 1940 she left college to marry Dallas and begin a 62 year marriage to the love of her life.
The young couple set up housekeeping in the Yakima Valley, where Dallas taught music to students in Granger, Yakima, Sunnyside, Mabton and Grandview. Dorothy worked at a variety of jobs until she became the School Food Service Supervisor for the Grandview School District in 1956.
Working in the school food services, she was very active in the American School Food Service Association, fulfilling many leadership offices and ultimately serving on the ASFSA's national legislative committee. In that role she was an architect of and successful Congressional lobbyist for the legislation that instituted the national school breakfast program. Dorothy's work in school lunch was work in support of the wellbeing of all children. Her statement was, "At noon there are no rich kids or poor kids --- there are just hungry children, and you can't teach a hungry child."
In looking back at her school lunch career, Dorothy claimed two highlights of which she was particularly proud – her contribution to the national breakfast program and her invention of the Cheese Zombie. Folks were never certain which of these was the more important accomplishment.
Throughout her life, Dorothy was an exceptionally creative seamstress. Having sewn her own clothes for all of her teen years, she saw her first actual dress pattern when she arrived at college. The twirling corps of the 1940 Granger Band remembered for many years the attractive uniforms that she designed and created for them. When styles changed, she pegged all of the formerly bell-bottomed uniform trousers for the entire Mabton band. Her extended family benefited from Dorothy's creative talents --- everything from tricked-out hunting vests to cowhide trombone cases. Into her eighties she designed and sewed beautiful original wedding dresses for her granddaughters.
In her retirement she and Dallas began a small business designing, building and marketing 1 inch to 1 ft. overstuffed doll house furniture. Their work was so exquisite that their small local project expanded to a national market. Dorothy was particularly proud that their Bethany Furniture was sold at Neiman Marcus.
Her energy and creativity went beyond sewing. She and Dallas planted two acres of cherries and spent summers harvesting and selling them with their family. She also designed a number of remodel additions to her home. Her last home project was the redesign and the replacement of a carport, a project that had her on the roof pounding nails at the age of 80.
Dorothy and Dallas always enjoyed fishing, from sleeping with the porcupines to fly fish on Engels Creek in their younger days to angling for salmon and crab in the San Juans in later years.
The most important part of Dorothy's life was her love for her family.
She is survived by her children, Roger Finch and his wife Jane of Wapato; Susan Lewis and Sam Mosier of the Satus; Gail Howat and her husband Duncan; Bunny Finch, and Kiki Tommila and her husband Lloyd, all of Bellingham;and James Finch of Zillah. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 24 great-granchildren.
Her husband Dallas, her parents, eight brothers and three sisters preceded her in death.
Dorothy's family thanks the staff at Emerald Care in Wapato for their thoughtful and affectionate care of Mom in her final year, and the staff's of Avail and Hospice for making her final days beautiful.
A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 1:00 PM at the Smith Funeral Home Chapel, Sunnyside, WA. with an inurnment graveside service to follow at Lower Valley Memorial Gardens, Sunnyside, WA.
Those wishing to sign Dorothy's on line memorial book may do so at www.funeralhomesmith.com.
Smith Funeral Homes Ltd. in charge of arrangements.
Dorothy was born in Missoula, MT on April 9, 1920 to Robert and Georgia (Andrews) Pelley. She was raised in Charlo, MT in the shadow of the Mission Mountains during the depths of the Great Depression, as the seventh of twelve irreverent siblings. Until her death she was the last survivor of this remarkable group. She graduated from Charlo H.S. and attended Eastern Washington College, where she studied Home Economics and met Dallas Finch. In 1940 she left college to marry Dallas and begin a 62 year marriage to the love of her life.
The young couple set up housekeeping in the Yakima Valley, where Dallas taught music to students in Granger, Yakima, Sunnyside, Mabton and Grandview. Dorothy worked at a variety of jobs until she became the School Food Service Supervisor for the Grandview School District in 1956.
Working in the school food services, she was very active in the American School Food Service Association, fulfilling many leadership offices and ultimately serving on the ASFSA's national legislative committee. In that role she was an architect of and successful Congressional lobbyist for the legislation that instituted the national school breakfast program. Dorothy's work in school lunch was work in support of the wellbeing of all children. Her statement was, "At noon there are no rich kids or poor kids --- there are just hungry children, and you can't teach a hungry child."
In looking back at her school lunch career, Dorothy claimed two highlights of which she was particularly proud – her contribution to the national breakfast program and her invention of the Cheese Zombie. Folks were never certain which of these was the more important accomplishment.
Throughout her life, Dorothy was an exceptionally creative seamstress. Having sewn her own clothes for all of her teen years, she saw her first actual dress pattern when she arrived at college. The twirling corps of the 1940 Granger Band remembered for many years the attractive uniforms that she designed and created for them. When styles changed, she pegged all of the formerly bell-bottomed uniform trousers for the entire Mabton band. Her extended family benefited from Dorothy's creative talents --- everything from tricked-out hunting vests to cowhide trombone cases. Into her eighties she designed and sewed beautiful original wedding dresses for her granddaughters.
In her retirement she and Dallas began a small business designing, building and marketing 1 inch to 1 ft. overstuffed doll house furniture. Their work was so exquisite that their small local project expanded to a national market. Dorothy was particularly proud that their Bethany Furniture was sold at Neiman Marcus.
Her energy and creativity went beyond sewing. She and Dallas planted two acres of cherries and spent summers harvesting and selling them with their family. She also designed a number of remodel additions to her home. Her last home project was the redesign and the replacement of a carport, a project that had her on the roof pounding nails at the age of 80.
Dorothy and Dallas always enjoyed fishing, from sleeping with the porcupines to fly fish on Engels Creek in their younger days to angling for salmon and crab in the San Juans in later years.
The most important part of Dorothy's life was her love for her family.
She is survived by her children, Roger Finch and his wife Jane of Wapato; Susan Lewis and Sam Mosier of the Satus; Gail Howat and her husband Duncan; Bunny Finch, and Kiki Tommila and her husband Lloyd, all of Bellingham;and James Finch of Zillah. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 24 great-granchildren.
Her husband Dallas, her parents, eight brothers and three sisters preceded her in death.
Dorothy's family thanks the staff at Emerald Care in Wapato for their thoughtful and affectionate care of Mom in her final year, and the staff's of Avail and Hospice for making her final days beautiful.
A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 1:00 PM at the Smith Funeral Home Chapel, Sunnyside, WA. with an inurnment graveside service to follow at Lower Valley Memorial Gardens, Sunnyside, WA.
Those wishing to sign Dorothy's on line memorial book may do so at www.funeralhomesmith.com.
Smith Funeral Homes Ltd. in charge of arrangements.
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