Dorothy Laverne Herman, of White Salmon, WA., passed away July 22nd, 2023, at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon after a year-long battle with cancer. She maintained a positive attitude all throughout, never giving up hope of recovering. Her sister Ruby Pantalone was by her side with her son and close family nearby.

Dorothy was born in a simple farmhouse outside of Soper, Oklahoma to Wiley and Beulah (Ray) Herman on March 23, 1943. She joined sisters Roberta and Ruby. Brother James and sister Brenda would follow.

While Dorothy was still little, her family moved several times to states that included New Mexico, Texas, and back to Oklahoma before moving to Mosier, Oregon by the time she was five. Dorothy attended all twelve grades in Mosier, graduating from Mosier Highschool in 1961. In high school she played volleyball all four years, and her serve was powerful! You did not want to be on the receiving end of one of her spikes! She was a member of the Girls' Athletic Association, pep club, school newspaper staff, annual staff, and participated in several school plays. Dorothy, along with her brother and sisters, delivered the Oregonian and Oregon Journal in Mosier for several years and they picked cherries every summer—all to help pay for school clothes.

Dorothy moved to Portland after graduating high school going to work for Meier & Frank Department Store while attending to Portland State University and later attending PCC. In ’62 She landed a job at Pacific Northwest Bell, and once hired she worked at the Telephone Company for 28 years as an instructor in Sales Support. It was a job that she thoroughly enjoyed.

After retiring from the Telephone Company in 1990, she moved to White Salmon, Washington where she worked to become a real estate broker, licensed in both Oregon and Washington. This was a second career well suited for her extrovertive tendencies and innate ability to network. After retiring from real estate, she enjoyed researching her family history as well organizing special get-togethers for family, friends, and retirees from US West Direct (Pacific Northwest Bell). She loved this work immensely. She took the most joy in spending time with friends and family. A most memorable event was her trip to Europe taken in 2000 with her friend Lynn Heyer—It remained a highlight of her travels and her life.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Wiley and Beulah Herman, and sister Brenda Herman. She is survived by her son Kevin Herman of White Salmon; two sisters Ruby Pantalone of Keizer, Oregon, and Roberta Reisner of Woodburn, Oregon; brother James “Jim” Herman of White Salmon, WA., and her Aunt Willia Mae Orta of Azel, Texas. She is also survived by two nieces, seven nephews, and many cousins throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington, as well as a host of friends far and wide.

Services are planned for Saturday, August 26th at 11:00 AM at Anderson’s Tribute Center in Hood River, Oregon with reception to follow. Please feel free to bring your favorite food item.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.