Dona Mae (Gorton) Beardslee (née Spitzbart) passed away peacefully on February 12, 2025, at the remarkable age of 102 in Phoenix, Arizona. Born on August 11, 1922, in South Dakota to Edward Arthur Spitzbart and Merle Thornberg Spitzbart, Dona Mae’s life journey was marked by resilience, love, and dedication.
Growing up in New Mexico during the 1930s, Dona Mae’s childhood was intertwined with the construction of Route 66. Her father worked on the road, and her mother cooked for the workers. With limited schooling near the job sites, Dona Mae and her sister Melba attended boarding school north of Santa Fe in the 8th grade. Her father purchased a Ford Model A for Dona Mae with a rumble seat to facilitate their travel to and from school.
In 1939, Dona Mae married Charles Fletcher in Albuquerque and became the first female grocery checker for Safeway in New Mexico. With the onset of World War II, she relocated to Southern California with her family, where she contributed to the war effort by working for Vultee Aircraft Corporation in Downey, California, building training airplanes. As a proud ‘Rosie the Riveter,’ she worked the swing shift from 3 to 11 PM.
After the war, Dona Mae married Charles Gorton and they had two sons, Edward (born in 1946) and Charlie (born in 1948). The family eventually settled in Bishop, California, where Dona Mae’s parents had retired. She became an active community member, serving as a Cub Scouts den mother, a 4H volunteer, and a dedicated participant in the Bishop Tri-County Fair.
Tragedy struck in 1961 when Dona Mae’s 13-year-old son, Charlie Gorton, died in a horseback riding accident in the High Sierras. Just two years later, in 1963, she lost her husband Charles Gorton to a trucking accident. Despite these profound losses, Dona Mae showed incredible resilience, supporting her family by working at Tony’s Meat Market in Bishop.
Dona Mae found joy in square dancing. In 1970, she married fellow square dancer and local teacher, Charles (Owen) Beardslee. Together, they found joy in outdoor adventures, including water skiing, sailing on Owen’s Hobie catamaran, and working for the U.S. Forest Service in the High Sierras.
In this period, Dona Mae also took on the responsibility of caring for Owen Beardslee’s two teenage children, who moved to Bishop to complete their last two years of high school. In a quest for proximity to loved ones, after retirement Owen and Dona Mae later relocated to Livingston, Montana, to be near her son Edward and his family, as well as Owen’s son Greg and his family. It was here in Livingston Montana that Dona Mae and Owen designed and built their own dream home.
In the mid-1980s, Owen and Dona Mae built a home on their property at Walker Lake, Nevada, where they spent the next 25 years hosting family water skiing vacations and Hobie Cat sailing adventures. The couple’s love for each other and their family was evident in every gathering they held.
Owen Beardslee passed away in 2006, and Dona Mae continued to live at Walker Lake for the next decade. In her later years, she remained deeply connected to her family and, in 2017, made the decision to move to Phoenix to be closer to her grandson Michael and his family. Dona Mae’s ashes will be interred next to Owen’s in the Fernley, Nevada VA Cemetery, where they will rest together.
Dona Mae was preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Merle Spitzbart; her husbands, Charles Gorton and Charles (Owen) Beardslee; sons Charlie and Edward Gorton.
Dona Mae is survived by her grandsons, Michael (Julia) Gorton, and David (Rebecca) Gorton; her stepchildren, Gregory (Kathy) Beardslee, Brian (Brian) Beardslee, and Shirlee (Larry) Baker; and by 9 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
Dona Mae’s life was a testament to her strength, community spirit, and unwavering love for her family and friends. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her. A celebration of her remarkable life will be planned for a later date.
Arrangements were cared for by Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, located 7900 E. Main Street in Mesa.
