Mary Elizabeth Dighton

Mary Elizabeth Dighton, age 92, of Grants Pass, died Saturday, March 19, 2011 at her home.

A memorial service will be at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 2, 2011 at Hope Presbyterian Church in Rogue River with Pastors Brian Boisen and Steve Keeton officiating. Private interment will be at Woodville Cemetery. Hull & Hull Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements.

Remembrances may be made to BRACE for Alzheimer’s & Dementia Research or Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

Mary was born January 17, 1919 in San Francisco, California to H. Glenn Johnson & Esther (Corwin) Johnson. In 1936 she graduated from Oakland Technical High School and then attended Business College. In October 1941 she married Paul D. Bray and they lived in Medford, Oregon before divorcing in 1955. In June 1958 Mary married Ted Hedrick and they lived in Pleasanton, California until Ted’s death on December 19, 1971. In June 1972 she married Leland Dighton and helped raise her five stepchildren. She lived in Rogue River until Lee’s death in August 1999. Mary then lived in Grants Pass with her daughter, Margaret. She worked at Eden Hospital in Castro Valley, California for several years before being a homemaker for most of her life.

Mary was a member of the Friendship Club and attended Hope Presbyterian Church for 17 years and later Calvary Chapel all in Rogue River. She volunteered as a Cub Scout den mother, cooked for church youth groups, and volunteered at the voting polls.

Her hobbies included canning, baking, gardening, fishing, camping, long walks, swimming, embroidery, and reading. She loved being with family and also loved the outdoors and animals.

Survivors include two daughters, Sharon Sewell of Rogue River, Oregon and Margaret Rice of Grants Pass, Oregon; a son, Glenn Hedrick of Onalaska, Washington; six stepchildren, Debra Kinsler of Knoxville, Tennessee, David Dighton of Old Town, Florida, Jacki Halcomb and Donald Dighton both of Merlin, Oregon, Sharon Sonner of Hermiston, Oregon, and James Seger of Lake Isabella, California; a brother, H. Corwin Johnson of Los Gatos, California; 24 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.

In addition to her husbands, Mary was preceded in death by a sister, Margaret Beeby; a son, Gordon Bray; two stepdaughters, Tammy Reid and Linda Hanrahan; and a granddaughter, Karen Hurst.