Dorothy E (James) Beason

Dorothy E. Beason of Hermiston, Oregon was born on October 29, 1926 in Ivy, Arkansas to parents, John and Annie Newton James. She died on July 24, 2015 in Hermiston, Oregon at the age of 88 years. The second of six children, Dorothy was raised in Leola Arkansas and then in Booneville, Arkansas.  America was in the middle of the Great Depression.  Her father worked in construction on the WPA.  Her mother was a homemaker.  When Dorothy was 14, her parents moved most of the family to the Okanogan Valley in Washington State to pick apples.  Dorothy attended Okanagon High School in Okanogan, Washington. She married a timber faller, William John Stolz. After his Air Force service and WWII ended they lived in the Omak, WA. area. They had three children, Gary, Cathy and Troy, when they moved to John Day, Oregon for better logging work.  Shortly, they settled in nearby Mount Vernon, where the children  completed elementary and high school.  Weekends were filled with hunting, fishing, waterskiing, camping and picnics all made more delicious by Dorothy's wonderful cooking. Following a divorce in 1967, Dorothy excepted an invitation to a blind date.  Two months later she married that date, chef Duane Beason.  They immediately moved to Pendleton, where they worked at the Tapadera Lounge.  It was Dorothy's first job with a paycheck.  Several months later, they moved to Pilot Rock, OR where they managed the RoundUp Room. They opened and operated Beason’s Pantry in downtown Pilot Rock until the mill closed. They moved back to Pendleton, Oregon she and Duane managed the Husky Truck Stop. They moved to Hermiston, Oregon in 1969 and worked at McCabes Restaurant for a short time before opening the Chuckwagon Drive-in in 1970. When the building burned they relocated up the street to, the current site of The Nickel. They kept the Chuckwagon name and fed locals and travelers for eight years. They bought a motorhome and traveled throughout the United States before returning to Hermiston and building Beason’s Chuckwagon Café in 1979. Dorothy operated the restaurant until retiring in 2007. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary where she was active in Girls State, and was a member of the Mount Vernon PTA. Dorothy enjoyed crossword puzzles, sewing, cooking, fishing, hunting, supporting and encouraging her children. Dorothy spent the last six years in her “Happy Home” at Sun Terrace. 

She is survived by her children: Gary Stolz and wife Marilyn, Cathy Stolz, and Troy Stolz, all of Hermiston, OR; sisters: Evelyn Jaquish, Wenatchee, WA, Marjorie Munsell-Forsythe, Hermiston, OR, and Bonette Carey, White Rock, BC; 3 grandchildren; 7 great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Duane Beason, her parents, brother: Harold James; a sister: Catheline Hardin; and William J. Stolz.

A celebration of life service will be held on Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 2:00 P.M. at the First Christian Church, Hermiston, OR.

Those who wish may make contributions in Dorothy’s memory to Vange John Memorial Hospice (Education Fund) at 645 W. Orchard Ave., Hermiston, OR 97838 or to a charity of your choice.

Please sign the online guest book and view the full obituary and download copies if you wish at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com

Burns Mortuary of Hermiston, Oregon is in care of arrangements. 

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