Alida Mae Vandarwarka

Alida Mae Vandarwarka, a Grants Pass resident since 1955, died Tuesday, July 16th at her home on the Rogue River.

Born Alida Mae Sautter in Longmont, CO on March 20, 1920, Alida Mae was the youngest of four children and moved to Salem, OR when she was three years old. When she was 6, she started to live with her older sister Nina in Murphy, OR.

In 1940, she married Clayton Vandarwarka at the Newman Methodist Church. Together, they had three children. While her daughter Patty Mac died as infant, her two sons, Clayton and Steven were young boys being raised in San Diego when their father died on a flight mission as a B-29 flight in July, 1953. At that point, Alida Mae moved back to Grants Pass to live next to her sister Nina and raise the boys. In 1960, Nina succumbed to cancer and Alida Mae helped to raise Nina’s children, whom ever since she had considered as her own, Hugh and Judy Brown.

Alida Mae worked at Grants Pass Travel for years and enjoyed multiple trips to see the world. She was active with the Newman Methodist Church and loved being involved with family, including helping raise her grandkids. She had an amazing network of friends and touched the lives of innumerable people from San Diego to Seattle.

She is survived by her sons, Steven Vandarwarka and Hugh Brown, many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren who all have brought her incredible amounts of joy throughout her life.

Her memorial Service will be held at the Newman Methodist Church in Grants Pass, Oregon on August 10th at 1:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to any if the following:
• Clayton Wayne Vandarwarka Scholarship Fund
• PEO Organization, Chapter CD in Grants Pass Oregon
• Shriners Hospital
• St Judes Hospital

Arrangements will be with Hull and Hull Mortuary and the Newman Methodist Church