Helen "Dorothy" McMahan

Dorothy was born in Portland, Oregon on August 18, 1932. She was the first child of Helen Agnes Laferriere (nee Lewis) and Russell Ribble. She was the third child of Russell Ribble. She had a younger sister, Margaret and two older half-brothers, Ted and Harold.

Dorothy reminisced often about the years during WWII when, at 9 years old, both her parents worked opposite shifts in the shipyards for the war effort. For four years, she and her sister, Margaret, were responsible to prepare meals and keep the property clean while one parent was always sleeping.

She graduated from Franklin High School in June of 1950. She then married Rex McMahan August 6th, 1951. The 28-year marriage produced seven children. They include Catherine Dorner, Barbara McMahan, Michael McMahan, Diana Gibler, David McMahan, Mary McMahan, and Stephen McMahan.

Dorothy considered the raising of her seven children the greatest joy of her life. She devoted all her love and attention to her family and continued to support and love them unconditionally into their adulthood. She was blessed with nine grandchildren, Jenny, Paul, Melissa, Michael, Randee, Sean, Andrew, Evelyn, and Ethan; and six great grandchildren, Olivia, Seth, Laina, Wyatt, Beatrix, and Jonas.

Dorothy was always interested in the big changes in society and explored the new ideas and cultural changes that were abundant from WWII through the 1980’s. She embraced human rights, feminism, psychology, personal growth and spirituality, and offered compassion and assistance to those less fortunate. As her children matured and moved on with their lives, she seized an opportunity to attend Marylhurst College, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in December, 1983.

Her various jobs included Administration and Real Estate Agent. After receiving her degree, she ran the Elder Hostel Program at Marylhurst and then chose to move to Newport, Oregon, where she could be close to the ocean and she could feel immense peace. She made many new friends and was able to help the community by working on shared housing and writing grants to continue the important work of her adopted community.

She also was able to adopt two dogs, who became very important companions for her. The first was Goldie, a Cocker Spaniel. They enjoyed many walks on the beach and she was a devoted companion to Dorothy while living in Newport. The second was Daisy, a Poodle Terrier Mix rescue, who was Dorothy’s companion during numerous daily walks through the Tualatin neighborhood in which they lived.

Dorothy was a great listener and was able to be a sounding board for her children and her friends. Her compassion and caring were her greatest gifts to the world and she will be greatly missed.