Beula Bernita Durnford was born Beula Mitchell on May 15, 1919, in the small farming community of Hooper, Nebraska, the youngest of six children (Eddie, Ray, Nellie, Burrill, Lois). Beula’s mother died when she was only 2, and Nellie quit school in the 8th grade to take over the family duties. Beula and Nellie remained extremely close throughout their lives. Beula graduated from Hooper High School in 1936, and faithfully attended reunions for more than 50 years. Almost immediately after graduation, she moved to Portland, Oregon, joining Nellie to start a life of her own. She worked as a housekeeper for several wealthy Portland families. Nellie pushed Beula to go out to dances, where she met Edmond Durnford at a dance. The two hit it off, and six weeks later got married. Because they didn’t want to tell anyone, they were secretly married by a Justice of the Peace, after which they went back to their respective homes. Only later did they have a second, public marriage in the Catholic Church. After Ed went off to serve in the Army in World War II, Nellie encouraged Beula to apply for a clerical job at Woodbury Hardware Company, a wholesaler of general hardware in Portland. The application process included a math test, a subject in which Beula was not comfortable. She begged Nellie to please teach her just one part of math; Nellie chose fractions, and they crammed an entire term of fractions into one night. Fortunately, the test was all about fractions, and Beula got the job. Upon Ed’s return from the war, they bought a small farm home on 2 acres in Cherry Grove, Oregon, outside of Gaston. They chose a remote location to allow him to recover from the hardships of war. Ed worked as a night watchman at Stimson lumber mill, while Beula took care of the house. She single-handedly dug out a complete daylight basement under their home, which more than doubled in size over the years. Their son Don was born 16 years into their marriage, and Kathy followed three years later. Beula focused on raising the kids. She served on the school board, volunteered as a 4H leader, served with the OSU Extension Service, and served regular smorgasbords for the large Scandinavian community in Cherry Grove. In the mid 1960s, Ed had an automobile accident that left him unable to work as a carpenter. Beula took a full-time job at the Sprouse-Reitz variety store in Forest Grove to pay the bills, a job she would hold for 30 years. Beula was well-known among the shoppers of Forest Grove. Ed passed away November, 1985, but Beula stayed on the acreage, taking care of the home and yard maintenance herself, including mowing that 2 acres every week. Her home was famous for the many plastic animals spread around her yard. In 2015 at age 95, she broke several bones in her back and hip, and it finally became too difficult for her to keep up the maintenance on the acreage in Cherry Grove At that point, after 65 years in Cherry Grove, she moved to the Woodland Heights Assisted Living Center in Tigard, where she remained in their excellent care until her passing on June 20. Beula has a niche at Riverview Abbey Mausoleum, directly underneath her sister, Nellie. That was just the right arrangement, in her mind. Beula is survived by her son, Don and Susi Durnford of Cornelius; her daughter, Kathy and Tim Roberts of Tigard; and four grandchildren, Amanda Roberts, Katrina Durnford Wright, Jonny Roberts, and Jonathan Durnford. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Gaston Fire Department or Hospice Care of the Northwest. Gaston Fire Department 102 E Main St Gaston, OR, 97119 Hospice Care of the Northwest 6130 NE 70th Ct #C10 Portland, OR, 97218 To send flowers or a remembrance gift to the family of Beula Durnford, please visit our Tribute Store.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Beula B Durnford 2018. River View Cemetery Funeral Home
Death notice for the town of: Portland, state: Oregon