Fordney, Dorothea

Dorothea Fordney age 92, died peacefully with family on June 1, 
2010. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-
grandmother, and friend, loved by all who knew her. She is 
survived by her brother, Monroe; children, Diane (husband Doug) 
and Donald (wife Kathleen); grandchildren, John, Rachel and 
Jennifer; step-grandchildren, Jayme and Julee; and great-
grandchildren, Jesse, Maya, Sophia, Ariana, Misty, Alex and 
Rowdy. Dorothea was an amazing, joyful woman who lived life to 
the fullest. Born in Goodrich, North Dakota, she married Donald 
Fordney in 1939 in California, and was a navy wife and mother for 
24 years. A Sierra Vista resident for 43 years and a Tucson 
resident for 16, Dorothea was an avid horsewoman, raising, 
training, riding, and breeding horses and participating in 
countless 4-H and other riding competitions and parades. She 
loved all animals, breeding, training, and caring for Shelties, 
Akitas, and numerous cats and dogs of all kinds. She was a 
wonderful dancer and later in life, a member of the Rickety 
Rockets. She was also a fierce athlete, setting the National 
Master's Record for the 5K in 1978 and later winning more than 
100 medals in the Senior Olympics. She was the Arizona Senior 
Athlete of the Year in 1987. She will be greatly missed. A Funeral 
will be held at Fort Huachuca Post Cemetery on Tuesday, June 8, 
2010 at 10:00 a.m. followed by a Memorial reception at the Ethel 
Berger Center in Sierra Vista. In lieu of flowers, please send 
donations to Care for the Horses. Donations can be made on-line 
at www.careforthehorses.com or checks can be sent to P. O. Box 
884, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635.

Published in the Tucson Newspapers on June 6, 2010