Obituary of Dori Halldorson

Dori Halldorson Dori Halldorson, 89, a longtime South Bend resident, died peacefully at his Olympia home surrounded by loved ones on Christmas Day 2010. He was born Halldor Halldorson in Akra Township, North Dakota, an Icelandic settlement near Mountain, on February 28, 1921, to Halldor and Jennie (Johnson) Halldorson. His father died when he was one year old. When he was seven, his family moved to Bellingham and his mother married Franz Sophusson. Dori graduated from Bellingham High School in 1939. He was an excellent athlete with a love for tennis, golf, boxing and swimming. He proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 as a Staff Sergeant in the Persian Gulf Command. He remained connected to his Army buddies, getting together annually for a reunion. After his honorable discharge, he graduated with an accounting degree from the University of Washington and then became a CPA. He met Sylvia Parietti in Seattle and married her in 1948. In 1954, they moved to South Bend, where Dori was president of Coast Oyster Company, the largest single oyster producer in the world, until he retired after 33 years. During that time, he was involved in the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association and the National Shellfish Association. Active in the community, Dori was a past president of the South Bend Chamber of Commerce and was honored as the Chamber’s Man of the Year in 1985. He served on the South Bend City Council for eight years, was a member of First Lutheran Church for 54 years, a charter member of Shoalwater Investment Club, including serving as its treasurer for 50 years, and a member of the Elks Club, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Willapa Harbor Golf Club. He enjoyed his family and always felt blessed to be surrounded by the women in his life—four daughters and a wife—and wouldn’t have traded them for the world. (He grew up with five brothers!) He was a man with integrity and had high ethical standards for everything he did and inspired those values in everyone who had contact with him, earning the respect of all who knew him. Dori truly exemplified the “Greatest Generation,” a generation united not only by a common purpose, but by common values—duty, honor, economy, courage, service, love of family and country and, above all, responsibility for oneself. This past year, Dori and Sylvia celebrated 62 years of marriage. They shared a wonderful life—traveling extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad, sailing on cruises and playing bridge, and rarely spent a night apart. In his retirement, Dori continued playing golf nearly every day for years, enjoyed his twice-daily coffee group get-togethers and cheerfully took care of the family’s two horses. A lasting memory will be the annual family road trips every summer across the country from coast to coast and the family cruises. Dori is survived by his wife Sylvia, Olympia; his daughters: Joyce Halldorson (Greg), Seattle; Sheila Riffe (Darrel), Olympia; Janet Lee Bernard (Kris), Gig Harbor; Shari Freidenrich (Clive), Huntington Beach, CA; his grandchildren: Mikkel Meyers (Tyler), Bellingham; Brenna Harrington (Eric), Gig Harbor; Lindsay Sandwick, Olympia; Brett Sandwick, Tallahassee. FL; and his great granddaughters: Scarlett Harrington, Gig Harbor, and Sierra Meyers, Bellingham. He was preceded in death by his parents, his stepfather and his four brothers: Eric and Paul Halldorson and Bobby and Sophus Sophusson. He is survived by one brother, Marvin Sophusson (Jeanne), Sun City West, AZ; first cousin, Anna K. Freyberg (Jim), Seattle; and numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces in the U.S. and Iceland. His brother-in-law Walt Parietti (Peggy) was also very important in his life. Dori moved to Olympia in June 2009 and lived at the Colonial Inn retirement home with his wife Sylvia. The family wants to thank the caregivers, hospice staff and the staff at the Colonial Inn for their excellent care and assistance. Dori will truly be missed by the family he adored and who in turn adored him. In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made to: First Lutheran Church Endowment Fund, P.O. Box 598, South Bend, WA 98586 or the Dori Halldorson Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o South Bend High School, P.O. Box 437, South Bend, WA 98586. Please sign the guestbook below and leave you condolences or a shared memory.