Frances Elizabeth (Waibel) Denfeld Obituary (1923

Frances Elizabeth (Waibel) Denfeld, resident of Hillsboro for 94 years, passed away on Wednesday morning, May 17, 2017 at her home. Recitation of the Holy Rosary will be at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday June 1, at St Matthew Catholic Church; 475 SE 3rd Ave in Hillsboro followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:30 a.m. Family and friends are invited to attend a reception following the Mass held in the school gymnasium. Rite of Christian Burial will take place at St. Matthew Catholic Cemetery in Hillsboro. Frances was born on April 14, 1923 on the family farm in Midway, OR. She was one of eight children born to William and Mary Ann (Pranger) Waibel. She was raised on the family farm and attended Midway Grade School and Hillsboro Union High School graduating with the Class of 1942. She first met her future husband of 57 years, Donald "Don" J. Denfeld, through Don's sister and brother. They soon began dating and following a short courtship they were married on June 20, 1946 at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Hillsboro. Their first house was in Portland where Don learned the ice cream business. They moved in 1950 to a small farm house north of Hillsboro, then purchased a house on Garibaldi Street in Hillsboro where they lived until 1957. They built a large, beautiful house on Minter Bridge Road which became the family home until 2014. They raised eight kids who grew up and moved on but never out of a warm and loving family circle. Frances was a devoted and loving mother to her eight children. She was a co-owner of Don's Ice Cream, a family business that won awards for making the "Best Ice Cream in the Pacific Northwest." They ran the business for over ten years until in 1961. Frances also worked at Birds Eye Cannery for several years as a quality control inspector and packaging clerk. In the 1980s she began working for Jossy Farms as the field boss at their U-Pick peach orchards. At the same time she became a partner in business with her husband and son, Ken, and opened a chain of Godfather's Pizza restaurants, a business that Frances was especially proud of. She enjoyed embroidery was celebrated for her homemade candies and cake decorating. She was an avid gardener, a volunteer at her church, a member of the Saint Mathew choir, a member of the Altar Society, and most notably chair of both the St. Matthew's food booth at the Washington County Fair and Grandma's Kitchen, a cornerstone of the annual Fall Festival. Don and Frances enjoyed traveling to visit relatives throughout the Mid West and Southwest. Friends and family will remember her love for dancing at the area Grange to her favorite music, Big Band and Swiss Polka. She was preceded in death by her loving husband in 2003, her parents and five siblings, Clara, who lived with her until 1997., Ray, "Bud" Clarence, Larry, and Joe. Survivors include eight children and their spouses; Ken and Pam Denfeld of Portland, Bob and Sheryl Denfeld of Prineville, Glenn and Connie Denfeld of Hillsboro, James Denfeld of Hillsboro, John and Terri Denfeld of Hillsboro, Maryann Samsa of Dallas, TX, Donna and Scott Satterlee of Hillsboro, Gary and Lauren Denfeld of Portland, two sisters; Ethel Hunter Kaufmann, Bertha Riedweg, nine grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a live plant could sent or planted at one's home in memory of Frances.