OBITUARY: Dorothy Jay (Goetz) Hoard July 30, 1932–March 3, 2014

DOROTHY HOARD July 30, 1932–March 3, 2014

Dorothy Jay (Goetz) Hoard died in her home in Los Alamos on Monday, March 3 after a short illness, surrounded by loved ones. Dorothy was born to Jacob and Rosalie (Plunkitt) Goetz on July 30, 1932 in Carmel, California, the nearest community to their home above the Big Sur Coast. She was raised in nearby Salinas, and attended Salinas Union High School and the University of California at Berkeley.

Soon after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry, she married Donald Ellsworth Hoard on July 3, 1954. The couple arrived in Los Alamos in 1963 after Donald’s PhD in Biochemistry from Berkeley, postdoctoral training at Cal Tech in Pasadena, CA, and employment with Pabst Fine Chemicals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Hoard was an avid hiker; she loved plants and the topography of the land. She poured her love into several books on local subjects, including a guide to Bandelier National Monument; a plant identification guide with botanist Teralene Foxx; a study of historic roads of Los Alamos; and a book on Los Alamos homesteaders with archaeologist Ellen McGehee and historian Judith Machen. Concerned about preservation of cultural sites on county land, Hoard secured addition of parts of White Rock Canyon and several historic roads in Los Alamos to the National Register of Historic Places. She was a founder and president of the Friends of Bandelier for 27 years; she was always proud of their accomplishments. She also conceived of and planned a trail around the rim of the Valles Caldera. She was employed by Los Alamos Scientific/National Laboratory for 23 years, first in inorganic analytical chemistry, then in environmental cleanup.

Foxx and Hoard gave plant tours and classes for almost 40 years. Both became supporters of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center, PEEC, when it was established in 2000, putting emphasis on fire recovery following catastrophic local fires. Hoard gave history hikes in hopes of preserving knowledge of the homestead era. She participated in recording dendroglyphs on the Valles Preserve to help preserve knowledge of sheepherders who spent lonely summers on the grasslands. Over these many adventures, Hoard was accompanied by many wonderful colleagues. It was a privileged life.

Hoard was preceded in death by her parents, sister Rosalie Nannette McCoun, and infant daughter Leslie. She is survived by husband Donald; daughter Emily Johnson of White Rock with husband Bill and their children William and Peter; son Robin Hoard of Evergreen, CO with wife Oksana and their children Caroline and Lindsay; daughter Allison deForest of Lehighton, PA with husband Christopher and their children Mallory and Dorothy Jo; son Matthew, of Albuquerque; brother Stephen Goetz of Big Sur, California; cousins, niece and nephews.

Cremation will be followed by interment at Guaje Pines Cemetery in a private ceremony for the family. A public celebration of Dorothy’s life is planned for March 25, 11 a.m., at Bandelier National Monument. She and her surviving family request that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Dorothy Hoard Memorial Fund at PEEC, or to the Friends of Bandelier, in her name.

 

 

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