Dolores Jean Pritchard

Dolores Jean Pritchard was born June 27, 1924, in Chicago, Illinois, an only daughter, raised by her Lithuanian mother and grandparents.

She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in education and took a job teaching elementary school in Los Angeles. She decided to pursue her interest in geology and went to graduate school at Stanford University.

There, she obtained a masters degree in geology, as well as met Austin Pritchard, whom she married in 1950. She went with Austin to Hawaii, where he was working on a PhD through the University of Hawaii. During this time, Dolores gave birth to her first son, David, in 1953.

Six months later, the family moved to Corvallis, Oregon, where Austin took a job as a professor of zoology. In Corvallis, Dolores gave birth to her two other children, Pamela and Jeffrey.

Dolores lived and worked in Corvallis for 35 years. During this time, Dolores obtained another masters degree in library science from the University of Oregon in 1967 and worked for twenty years as the head reference librarian at the Corvallis Public Library.

After she retired in 1987, Dolores moved to Sisters, where she lived until her death on August 8.

Dolores is survived by her three children and her six grandchildren: Rose, Dan, Max, Gus, Charlotta and Ruben.

Dolores had two great passions: travel and animals. Dolores traveled all over the world. Her interest in travelling was sparked by a trip to Mexico with her mother in 1943. During her life she visited every continent, including Antarctica. She was especially interested in arctic and equatorial destinations. She traveled in every mode possible, from bush plane to cruise ship, and was always interested in going to another place she had never been.

On her travels she encountered many different cultures, but what really fascinated her were the animals. Dolores' great passion throughout her life was animals. She always had cats and for a long time had a Samoyed dog. Often her travel destinations were chosen for the wild animals she might encounter, such as polar bears, wolves, large cats and exotic birds.

She supported causes that helped protect wolves and polar bears. For several years, she was a volunteer docent at the Oregon High Desert Museum, working with otters and porcupines. In addition, Dolores was a supporter of the arts and music in Central Oregon.

Dolores was an independent, intelligent and cultured woman with a great interest in learning about the world, visiting its locales and encountering as many of its animals as possible. She lived a full and interesting life and will be missed by her children, grandchildren and friends.

There will be a gathering to honor the memory of Dolores on Saturday, August 22, 7 p.m., at the Pine Meadows Village Clubhouse in Sisters. Contact Dave Hohlbein at (206) 953-6374 or Pam Keller (503) 999-9307 for more information.