Obituary of Dorothy Gernhardt

Dorothy A. Gernhardt

February 9, 1927 – August 12, 2023

Dorothy A. Gernhardt, 96, passed away Saturday, August 12, 2023 from natural causes at the SpringRidge at Charbonneau Senior Living facility in Wilsonville, Oregon. She was born February 9, 1927 in Eightmile, Oregon. She attended Eastern Oregon College in LaGrande, Oregon. It was there she met the man of her dreams and future husband, John Gernhardt. To make things easier for everyone, Dorothy married John on St. Patricks Day, which was also his 23rd birthday, March 17, 1950.

Dorothy and John were avid sports people. They loved golfing and skiing, the latter taking them to all the top ski resorts in the Northwest. Over the years, they enjoyed having homes in Lake Oswego, Lincoln City, Salishan, Sun River, Mt. Hood and Palm Springs.

Dorothy’s working career was in the financial industry with Equitable Savings and Benj. Franklin Savings and Loan, as an Executive Secretary to Senior Bank Executives.

Her favorite color was red. All their cars were red and much of their furniture was also red. In the 14 years Dorothy spent at SpringRidge Court, Dorothy was known for her many colorful outfits and will likely be remembered by many for her for stylishness. Even after her stroke in 1993, she always looked sharp and was dressed to the hilt. Not only did she have colorful clothes, she also had matching shoes for every ensemble. Special and appropriate outfits were always worn on holidays.

Dorothy had a great sense of humor, a positive attitude and such a wonderful laugh, which made her a fun person to be around. If she liked something, she would give you a thumbs up! She will be reunited with her husband John who preceded her in death in 2016 at Willamette National Cemetary.

She will be missed.