Roberta Rainey

Roberta Bond Rainey, 82 of Corvallis died Sunday. Born November 8, 1925 in Camp Lewis, Washington; she was the daughter of Col (Ret) Aubrey H. and Faye Elizabeth (Ball) Bond. As a young girl, Roberta moved frequently due to her father’s active military career as an engineer in the Army Corps of Engineers. She lived in Corvallis for short periods while growing up and attended 4th grade at Harding School. Just before World War II, her parents built the house on Whiteside where she lived since 1970. Roberta attended 10 different high schools but still graduated in four years. She began her university studies at Stephens College in Missouri and graduated in 1946 from Scripps College in Claremont, California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. After graduation she worked for the State Department in Washington, DC and then in 1947 as an intelligence analyst in occupied Japan. While in Japan, she met her future husband, James Walter Rainey who was serving in the occupation forces. They married in Yokohama in 1949 and their eldest child, daughter Shawn Elizabeth was born there. Then followed a tour in Fort Knox, Kentucky where their next two children were born, daughter Erin Roberta and son James Bond, and then a tour in Germany where daughter Katherine Jane and son Walter Patrick were born. Their youngest child daughter Rochelle Christine was born in Dayton Ohio. Then followed a tour in Iran, where Roberta took Farsi lessons and learned to store the vodka in the freezer. Following her husband’s retirement in Iran, she organized a voyage of discovery with the whole family packed in a station wagon for four months, driving from Teheran to Copenhagen. On returning to Corvallis, she attended Linn Benton Community College and then served as Executive Director of the Benton County American Red Cross from 1973 to 1989. Roberta was a major fan to all of her grandchildren as they were growing up, attending every game, play and graduation. After her retirement, she concentrated on supporting the arts and music scene in Corvallis, Eugene and Portland and in tutoring foreign students in conversational English. She was an enthusiastic patron of the arts, particularly music and opera. She was a regular at the Monday-Wednesday-Friday morning water exercise class at Osborne Aquatic Center. She also had a soft spot for pets, especially dogs. She was a member of the Retired Officers Club. Roberta is preceded in death by her husband of 47 years, Col. (Ret) James Walter Rainey who died in 1996; daughter Katherine Jane Rainey who died in 1979 and her sister Elizabeth Starker Cameron who died in 2004. She is survived by her children Shawn Rainey Roler, Erin Rainey, LTC (Ret) James Bond Rainey, LTC (Ret) Walter Patrick Rainey and Rochelle Rainey; nephews Bond Starker and Barte Starker and nine grandchildren. Memorial Contributions in Roberta’s name may be made to the Bond-Foster-Rainey Women in Military Scholarship through the Benton County Foundation. A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 pm, Sunday, June 29th at the family home.

Tributes

Roberta Rainey

November 8, 1925 - June 22, 2008