Martha Spitznogle

Martha Jane Dougall Spitznogle, formerly of Corvallis, passed peacefully on Saturday, February 2, at Lydia’s House Residential Care Facility at Mennonite Village in Albany. She was 86. Please join her family for a Celebration of Life to be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 23, at the Mennonite Village Chapel, 5353 Columbus Street SE, Albany. Jane was born in Wolf Creek, Oregon, in her parents’ bedroom at the family-owned Wolf Creek Tavern. John (“Bud”) Lathrop Dougall and Hazel (“Dinky”) Evelyn Dougall already had a son, John Blinn, when they welcomed “Janie” to their family. “The Tavern,” now known as the Wolf Creek Inn, was Jane’s joyous home for the first nine years of her life. After finishing her coursework in three years, Jane graduated from Corvallis High School in 1944. She attended both Oregon State College and the University of Washington. She was a member of Delta Zeta sorority. As a young woman, Jane enrolled in a night class taught by Lee Ray Spitznogle, a handsome Army veteran and teacher at Corvallis High School. Romance soon followed and they married on December 9, 1950, at Bainbridge Island, WA. While she had worked as a secretary prior to her nearly 50-year marriage, her primary occupation for the rest of her life was as dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother. She and Lee had four children and five grandchildren. Jane devoted much of her time to help care for her granddaughter Natalie, a child with special needs. Both Jane and Natalie were active in the Benton County Arc. Jane was a volunteer with the Benton County Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse. She served many years as “room mother” at Washington and Garfield grade schools, and she supported Scouting, vacation Bible school, and many other children’s activities. Because her husband Lee ran the Benton County Schools Credit Union from an office in their home, Jane was the unofficial “assistant manager” during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Jane was also a member of Corvallis Faculty Wives and - in later years - a Dining Out group of retired faculty and their spouses. She was a dedicated gardener all her life and spent many hours caring for flowers, shrubs, and trees. She also enjoyed flower arranging, antiquing, caring for family pets, and keeping up on the latest medical and weather news. Jane was fondly referred to as “Nurse Jane” by her family; she had done Red Cross work at an Astoria hospital near the end of World War II, and she was always a tender and effective caregiver when anyone was sick or injured. Jane was always connected to her roots, and never lost contact with old friends from Wolf Creek. In later years, she took many trips to the Tavern with her children to reminisce and to help preserve some of the family and building history. The Wolf Creek Inn is now an Oregon State Heritage Site, and also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Jane kept in touch with Sally Johnson King, the young woman who had worked with the Dougalls at the Tavern, and who had returned to Wolf Creek in her retirement. Jane’s childhood friend, Annella Converse Robinson, exchanged letters with her throughout her life. Annella named her own daughter Jane. Jane also remained lifetime friends with Pauline Nelson Fox. They first met in Wolf Creek and later became fast friends at Corvallis High School. Jane was born on April 21, 1926, the same day that marked the birth of Queen Elizabeth II. Throughout her life she enjoyed sharing the fact that her birthday coincided with that of the Queen. In 2006, on the occasion of her 80th birthday, son Michael wrote to Her Majesty asking for a birthday greeting. To everyone’s surprise and delight, his letter was answered - not by the queen, but by a lady-in-waiting on Buckingham Palace letterhead. Survivors include children Sandra Lee Johnson of Portland, Capi Ann Frank (Rob) of Banks, Peggy Elizabeth Coats (Randy) of Independence, Michael Cardiff Spitznogle of Philomath; brother John Blinn Dougall (Alice) of Westlake Village, CA; cousin Mary Jean Agan of Sumner, WA; grandchildren Eric Andrew Johnson, Carlee Elizabeth Frank, Jonathan Michael Guillen, and Cooper Thomas Frank; and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her beloved Cat and her granddog Yodi. Jane was especially fortunate, in her final years, to be surrounded by the loving family of caregivers at Lydia’s House. Her family is very grateful for the kindness and attention shown to her over the last three years. She was preceded in death by her husband in 2000, and by her granddaughter, Natalie Ann White, in 2001. She will be laid to rest at Forest View Cemetery in Forest Grove next to them at a later date. Memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of Oregon, the American Cancer Society, or the charity of your choice in care of McHenry Funeral Home, 206 NW Fifth Street, Corvallis, OR 97330. An online guestbook is available at www.mchenryfuneralhome.com.

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Martha Spitznogle

April 21, 1926 - February 2, 2013