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exceptional women
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
S
everal months ago the collective staff
of The Outlook, Sandy Post and Es-
tacada News sat around a table brain-
storming ideas for special sections.
That’s where the idea of featuring Excep-
tional Women came from. The endeavor was
to do more than feature women who have
important careers, but instead to feature re-
markable women.
From there, we asked our readers to help
by nominating those who fit that description.
The response was amazing, so much so that
we actually produced more stories about
nominees than would fit within these pages.
(We’ll find a place for those stories in the
regular newspaper.)
We hope you enjoy reading our Exception-
al Women supplement just as much as we
enjoyed meeting these women and telling
their stories.
Steven Brown, executive editor, The Outlook, Sandy
Post, Estacada News
Editor’s
Comments
Steven
Brown
WHAT’S
INSIDE
Page 4 —
Ruth Vandenbos; Patricia Durward
Page 5 —
Jewell Lamb cares for veterans
Page 6 —
Cindy Wich: strong, determined,
loving and unselfish
Page 7 —
Cory Williamson: homeless shel-
ter volunteer and community activist
Page 8 —
Rep. Shemia Fagan: leader, wife,
parent and professional
Page 11 —
Joan Lawrence: educating
Estacada’s students for 25 years
Page 12 —
Kelly Rasmussen: a stay-at-
home mom
Page 13 —
Nancy Summer: passionate
about healing
Page 14 —
Vivienne Lewis: Oregon’s Mother
of the Year
Page 15 —
Rebecca Loprinzi: Committed to
kindness
By JANIE L. NAFSINGER
Pamplin Media Group
R
uth Vandenbos, 83, has served on
the board of directors of My Sister’s
House while simultaneously head-
ing committees at church, women’s
groups and keeping up with her family, says
Becky Coleman founder/director of My Sis-
ter’s House, who nominated Vandenbos as
an exceptional woman.
“She gives to so many groups and is like
the Energizer Bunny — she never runs out
of energy,” Coleman says in her nomination.
Vandenbos recently took on a quilting
project for her church, “and her sewing ma-
chine is going from the crack of dawn to the
late night hours — much like Ruth herself,”
Coleman says. “She is exceptional in her ser-
vant demeanor and willingness to offer as-
sistance wherever needed. Ruth is endlessly
looking forward to her next project or activi-
ty.”
Vandenbos has lived in Gresham for 37
years. Born in Nebraska, she became a regis-
tered nurse there, later moving to Wyoming
and then to Oregon. She and her husband,
Arlo, raised five children, and she worked
part time for 18 years at Legacy Mount Hood
Medical Center. Arlo, a civil engineer, died in
2003.
Vandenbos has been volunteering for My
Sister’s House for going on eight years and
was board president.
She has 11 grandchildren and 11 great-
grandchildren. She has survived cancer
twice and also is a volunteer with Mt. Hood
Hospice in Sandy.
“Every day is a blessing,” Vandenbos says.
I
t’s sometimes said that if you want some-
thing done, find the busiest person you
know and give the task to her. That some-
one could be Patricia Durward, a resident
of Summerplace, a Northeast Portland retire-
ment community of some 1,200 residents.
“Pat has served in about all of the commit-
tees of their board of directors and was last
year elected president and is still serving as
president of the homeowners association of
Summerplace,” writes Clair Pense of Gresh-
am, a friend who nominated Durward as an
exceptional woman.
Durward, 70, is a native Oregonian who at-
tended Grant High School (class of 1960) and
attended Portland State University, where she
studied accounting. For 12 years she worked
for a certified public accountant, then went to
work for the state’s PERS program, retiring in
1998 as administrator of member services at
PERS.
She and her late husband,
John, lived for 25 years in Ar-
gay Terrace before she
moved to Summerplace 10
years ago and wasted no time
getting involved. She started
out working in the office and
took charge of the communi-
ty pinochle games. Six years
ago she joined the board.
Durward also has served on
the board’s finance committee, was board
treasurer and is now the board president. For
seven years she also was managing editor of
the Summerplace News, the community’s
newsletter.
“Everybody has something they excel at,
and I’m a very organized person,” Durward
says. “I can organize almost anything around
here.”
— Janie L. Nafsinger
Ruth Vandenbos, ‘Energizer Bunny’
Patricia Durward, super organizer
Vandenbos has
been volunteering
for My Sister’s
House for going
on eight years
and was board
president.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Join us as we introduce you
to truly Exceptional Women
Durward