Obituary of Thelma Eulalla Wendt

Thelma Eulalla Wendt passed on December 16, 2019 from Alzheimer’s in an adult care home in Clackamas, OR. She was born on October 23, 1924 to Carl Arndt and Twylah Wanda Bray in Houston, Texas, but was raised mostly in Nebraska on a farm and in small towns. She was married to Dorsey Albert Wendt who passed on November 30, 2012 in Tualatin OR. He was born on December 7, 1922 to Emil Franz H. Wendt and Olivia Victoria Swanson, who raised him on a farm outside Keystone, NE. When Dorsey first saw Thelma, who was then in 8th grade walking down the sidewalk in Keystone, he declared loudly to his buddy, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry someday!” Thelma was thoroughly embarrassed, but years later after Dorsey’s many flirtations and several dates, they did indeed get married. After high school, Thelma learned secretarial skills in Denver that she used at Hill Air Force Base in Utah during WWII. She then returned to Nebraska in 1943, married Dorsey, and a couple years after the birth of their daughter, Twylah, they moved to Colorado, where they managed cattle ranches for 20 years. When Twylah was nearly 8, Thelma gave birth to a second daughter, Debbie. Thelma managed the ranches’ bookkeeping, cooked all the meals for Dorsey’s employees who joined in at the family dining table, and helped Dorsey with many ranch tasks as needed. Thelma was a dedicated parent volunteering in the girls’ schools and Girl Scouts. She was a member of the Colorado Cowbelles Association, and kept busy sewing projects, baking goodies for others, and dabbling in drawing and oil painting. While Dorsey busily cared for horses, 200 cows, breeding, calving and hay production, he still found quality time to spend with his daughters. On weekends, the family joined friends to play Pinochle and Square Dance. In 1965, Ray Kroc (owner and founder of McDonald’s hamburgers) hired Dorsey to manage a ranch in Santa Ynez, California, designed as a pleasant setting for corporate meetings and the restaurant test kitchen. Dorsey managed a herd of calves experimenting with feeds in an indoor environment, in addition to a small aesthetic outdoor herd of cows and horses. Thelma managed the ranch accounting, volunteered with the Hospital Auxiliary, and was a member of Business and Professional Women Association, serving as chapter president for several years. She also took Spanish, automotive, and organ playing classes. When her two grandsons came to visit, they enjoyed the ranch’s swimming pool and other recreational activities. Years after the end of the calf experiment, Dorsey became a Santa Barbara County ranger at Cachuma Lake. Thelma became the ranch manager, and oversaw the gardeners, maintenance and cleaning crews, while living in nearby town of Solvang. Thelma’s retirement in 1989 did not slow her down as she volunteered at SYV Humane Society Thrift Shop, entertained her two great-grandsons’ visits, and provided for her aging friends with rides to their doctors, baking, and caring for their pets. She joined the line-dancing “Senior Gleaners,” as they performed for events, facilities, and fund raisers, happily stomping their way around the community in their cute western costumes. After Dorsey suffered a series of strokes, she became his caregiver. Then, as Thelma developed Alzheimer’s, they moved in 2007 to an assisted living facility to be near Debbie’s help in Oregon. Thelma and Dorsey are survived by Dorsey’s sister Arta Thiems, by Thelma’s two sisters Juanita Beckius, and Carole Henning (Roger), daughter Debbie Bailey (Randy), daughter Twylah Mitchell, grandsons Les Mitchell, Sean Mitchell (Elesha), great-grandsons Elijah and Nathaniel, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. A Celebration of Life for Thelma and Dorsey is being planned in Denver in summer 2020, place, date and time yet to be determined. If you are interested in attending or contributing your thoughts and memories, please notify Debbie with your contact info to wendtevent@ccgmail.net. Donations in their memory can be given to your local non-profit Humane Society or the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society at https://www.syvhumane.org/help-us/give.