June 20, 1921 - August 24, 2012
Donna-Jean Miller Lamoreux Obituary
Donna-Jean Miller Lamoreux died at the Hospice of Spokane?s Hospice House on August 24, 2012. She was born in Nezperce, ID on June 20, 1921 to Leroy V. Miller and Ruby M. Ogle. She graduated from Nezperce High School and attended Lewiston Normal School and the University of Idaho. She married John M. Lamoreux on September 15, 1942.
She moved to Colorado and Texas with John after he enlisted in the Army Air Force during WWII and worked as a telephone operator in Texas and Spokane while he was overseas. Following her husband?s graduation from Whitman College in Walla Walla, they moved to the Portland, OR area to raise their family, living in Beaverton. After moving back to Walla Walla for several years, they returned to Lake Oswego, OR. In 1971 they moved to a beautiful home on the east fork of the Lewis River in Yacolt WA, living in the woods for almost 20 years before moving to Vancouver WA. In 2004 they moved to Spokane to be closer to family.
She worked as a dental assistant and office manager for multiple employers in Walla Walla, Portland and Vancouver. She was an accomplished decorative arts painter, avid gardener, talented seamstress and had a wonderful knack for decorating. She loved her family & friends, antiques, and native plants. Her prowess in the kitchen was renowned, with an invitation to dinner being a special treat.
Donna-Jean and John were 30+ year members of the First Unitarian Church of Portland and after moving to Spokane joined the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane. Donna-Jean and John enjoyed traveling in their RV, taking two round-trips across the country and numerous short trips throughout the west coast. She was an active community volunteer with the League of Women Voters, Girl Scouts, AARP, Clark County Council on Aging, and the Pomeroy Living History Farm. In 1999, John & Donna-Jean were honored as Outstanding Senior Volunteer Citizens by the Southwest Washington Agency on Aging and the Clark County Council on Aging.
She is survived by her children, Cathi (David Lipton) of Spokane and Kent of Phoenix, AZ. She is also survived by her granddaughters, Klay Arsenault (Richard Belson) of Morgan Hill, CA and Holly Arsenault (Matthew Richter) of Seattle, two great-grandsons, Emmett Belson and Isadore Richter, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, her mother & father, her brother, Donald, and sister, Josephine (who passed away just ten days ago).
The family is grateful for the wonderful care provided by Hospice of Spokane. Donations in her memory may be made to the charity of your choice or to Hospice of Spokane, P O Box 2215, Spokane, WA 99210.
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