Dorothy Halldorson

1940 - 2025

Dorothy Joan Halldorson passed away peacefully in her sleep at 5:10 on the morning on October 16, 2025 at age of 84.

She was born in Oakland, California on November 4, 1940. When she was five the family moved from the Sacramento area to Washington when her parents bought 180 acres on Cain Lake in 1945. She attended Acme Elementary School and graduated from Mount Baker High School in 1958. Joan was always involved in school activities and in high school was a cheerleader and was a Blossom Time princess. It was during this time that she dated Erick Halldorson who also attended Mount Baker High school. They married in 1959 and over the next couple of years had 3 children; Julie and Steven, who were born in Bellingham, and Allan who was born in Ventura California when Erick was in the Airforce.

In 1965 Joan and her husband bought a small family farm on Laurel Road where whey would raise their children. Joan's life was always in motion, creating and tending to an organic garden, canning and freezing food for the year, while raising her family and the early 1970's went to work creating her own publication called Refunder's Delight that had a circulation in several states around the U.S. In the early 1980's she created Rainbow Nursery followed by Granny's Herbs growing and drying her own organic herbs. She also sold Avon, worked in a ribbon shop in town. Living with faith Joan attended the Laurel Baptist Church helping with Sunday School lessons among other things. In 1994 they sold the farm, moving to Bellingham into the Columbia neighborhood. She went to work in the bakery at Fred Meyer on Lakeway drive until her retirement in 2004.

Over the years Joan has had many adventures with her husband in the Airforce, then packing up the family and moving to Kauai in 1970 and again in 1971 for Erick's work, coming back to the farmhouse for half the school year each time. Joan lived in California, Illinois, Colorado and Hawaii, but spent most of her life in Whatcom County which was where she wanted to be. As a retiree she took up hiking and birding where she belonged to the National Audubon Society.

Joan's children were the most important thing to her. This is where she found her strength and happiness in life. She was devoted to her family, her sisters and all their families, even hosting a family reunion with members coming from as far as California, Alaska and Montana to camp out under the orchard trees on the farm. Her life was nothing less than amazing.

Joan is preceded in death by her parents Allan and Dixie Thomson, her son Allan Halldorson, her sisters Jeanne Smith and Joyce Westmoreland, Rick Owens (nephew) and Virginia Thomson (niece).

She is survived by Her Daughter Julie Staton and husband Bob, her Son, Steven and his husband Mike Schultz, Granddaughter April Anderson and husband Dennis, Grandson Joshua Staton, Great Grandchildren, Cody, Kaylee, Tanyen, and, Great, Great Grandchild Silvia and many cousins, family and friends dear to her.