Inalee Densley (Pierce) and Delors Ray (Red) Densley
Inalee Densley (Pierce) died Jan. 19, 2010, and Delors Ray (Red) Densley died Dec. 2, 2009, in Shelton.
Inalee Densley was born in Goldendale on Jan. 22, 1920, to Ina and Bill Pierce. She graduated from Centerville High School in 1938 and was the only cheerleader for the small country school. After graduation, Inalee moved to Portland, Ore., and lived with her uncle and aunt while she attended business school. She returned to Goldendale after graduation from business school and worked as a bookkeeper.
Red Densley was born at his parents’ home in Pegram, Idaho, on July 10, 1913. The family moved to Goldendale in 1935. Ray was very involved in 4-H and showed sheep for 12 years in the states of Idaho, Utah, and Washington. He started showing sheep at the age of 15 and had several grand champion sheep during his showing days.
Inalee and Red met in 1937 at the Block House Dance Hall in Goldendale, and were married on Aug. 14, 1940. They lived in their first home along the banks of the Klickitat River in Klickitat.
Red worked for J. Neils Lumber Company from 1940 to 1949. Red and Inalee and their family also lived in Glendale, Ore., and Shelton.
Inalee and Red both loved gardening, camping, square dancing, and spending time with their family and friends. Inalee was an excellent cook and Red was an excellent fisherman. Inalee and Red loved the outdoors and spent many hours on the Washington and Oregon coasts with their family fishing and clam digging. They both enjoyed the mountains and spent time camping and berry picking during the summer months when the family wasn’t fishing at the ocean. Inalee and Red were active members of the Salty Sashayers Square Dance Club and served as president-couple for several years. They were also members of the Tramper Sams Camping Club. Inalee was known to whip up an awesome batch of clam chowder for club events.
They were volunteers for the Mason County Fair Grounds and volunteered for several years during the fair. They also volunteered for Washington state parks as campground hosts.
Inalee was a member of the Evergreen Chapter No 1 Order of Eastern Star, Goldendale. Red held memberships in the Knights Templar of Oregon, Cryptic Masons of Oregon, Grand Lodge of F. & A. M. of Goldendale, Hillah Shriners A. A. O. N. M. S. of Medford, Ore. He was a lifetime donator to the Portland Children’s Shrine Hospital and sponsored the care of several children at the hospital.
They were preceded in death by their parents, Ina Lee and Daniel William Pierce; Edith M. Densley and Delors Ray Densley Sr; brothers Daniel Pierce; Clyde Densley, Mel Densley, Sidney Densley and Leslie Densley; son Daniel Densley and grandson James Richard Densley Jr.
They are survived by her son and daughter-in-law Milt and Sue Densley, Olympia; son and daughter-in-law Jim and Andrea Densley, Shelton; and daughter and son-in-law Edith and Kent Hitchings, Belfair; 13 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, eight great-great grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
The family asks that donations in memory of Red and Inalee be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Portland, Attn: Development Office, 3101 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, Oregon 97239; or to Susan G. Komen, Three-Day Walk For The Cure, attn: Edith Hitchings, PO Box 1377, Belfair, WA 98528; or donate on line at http://www.the3day.org/goto/edithhitchings10.
Red and Inalee will return home to Goldendale in the spring where their remains will be laid to rest in the Goldendale Cemetery.
