Jan. 13, 1938 — Feb. 10, 2008

Doris “Dorie” Veal Nelson, 70, of Albany, passed away Sunday in her home, surrounded by her family, after a courageous and graceful 16-month battle with brain cancer.

The daughter of an original pioneer family, Dorie was a fourth-generation resident of Albany. She was born in Albany General Hospital to Clarence and Martha (Patterson) Veal, and spent most of her childhood in Albany. Her childhood was a magical time, surrounded by a loving family, with music filling her house and a menagerie of pets, including ducks, geese, toads and cats.

Dorie attended Stanford University, where she earned a B.A. in art. She earned her M.F.A. in jewelry and metalsmithing from the University of Oregon.

In 1961, she married Bill Nelson. While they later divorced, they remained friends. They had two daughters, Anne and Beth, who were the loves of her life.

Doris was an accomplished painter and enamellist, who cultivated beauty in all aspects of her life. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Smithsonian Institution, the University of Oregon Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Contemporary Crafts Gallery in Portland, George Washington University, the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo, and the Portland Art Museum. She was featured in the book, “Northwest Originals: 50 Oregon Women and Their Art” in 1989. Dorie loved teaching, and she was an “Artist in the Schools” in Salem, a painting instructor at the Albany Senior Center, and an art instructor at Linn-Benton Community College.

In addition to her work as an artist, Dorie liked to joke that she was a “bureaucrat.” Her colleagues knew she was much more than that. As longtime director of the Benton Center of Linn-Benton Community College, she made many dear friends, helped students and colleagues to discover their best selves, and created wonderful new classes. Prior to her tenure at LBCC, she served as executive director of the Salem Art Association and as president and CEO of her family’s furniture factory, R. Veal & Son.

Dorie was deeply involved in the Corvallis and Albany communities. As a young woman, she was a Rainbow Girl and a member of her Booster Club. She was very active in her church, First Christian Church in Albany. She also served as the membership coordinator for Chamber Music Corvallis. She was fiercely opinionated in her political views, and volunteered as a draft counselor during the Kuwait war. Her home was always open to her daughters’ friends.

Dorie is survived by her two daughters and sons-in-law, Anne and Andy Codding of Eugene and Beth Nelson and Eric Hill of Portland; five grandchildren: Eleanor, Lorraine and Joseph Codding and Ethan and Katherine Hill; by her church family; and by many, many dear friends.

In lieu of flowers, Dorie would ask that you take your best friend to dinner, have tea and cookies, and remember the vibrant woman she was.

Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008, at Willamette Memorial Park.

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008, at the First Christian Church, 432 Ferry St. S.W., Albany.

Remembrances may be made to the First Christian Church or Benton Hospice Service, c/o Fisher Funeral Home, 306 S.W. Washington, Albany, Oregon 97321. www.fisherfuneralhome.com

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