Nelora Elizabeth Jordan
March 28, 1930 – Oct. 15, 2022
On Oct. 15, 2022, Nelora Elizabeth Jordan was called home to be with the Lord and to take care of her cowboy again. She was 92 years old.
Born on March 28, 1930, to Irvin and Bessie Reed, Nelora grew up on a Dairy farm near Vale, Oregon. She had one sister, Eleanor, and graduated from Vale High School.
Nelora started dating Richard Jordan, a rancher from Westfall, Oregon, when she was 16 years old. They married on Feb. 1, 1948, when she was 17 years old. Richard and Nelora made their home on the ranch in Westfall where they enjoyed the next 72 years together before Richard passed in 2020. Together they raised seven children, Dick Jr., John, Dan, Bob, Laura, Dave and Frank.
Nelora spent most of her life as a homemaker and bookkeeper for the ranch. She loved to sew and made each grandchild a quilt. She loved to read and was a member of a book club for many years. History and genealogy were a huge interest in Nelora’s life and she kept very extensive family history records. She was also active with the Extension office, enjoyed a good card game, and loved talking on the phone to keep up on all the latest gossip. You would often find her in her kitchen, baking bread, or the oatmeal cookies she always kept on hand to feed whoever came through the door.
Her seven children gave her 23 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren and 7 great-great-grandchildren, with more on the way. She loved hosting family gatherings over the holidays and many great memories were made in the house they built over the years.
She was preceded in death by her loving husband Richard, daughter and son-in-law John and Laura Sword, her parents, sister and brother-in-law, Bob and Eleanor Bradfield, and great-granddaughter, Avaleigh Engelmann. She is survived by sons Dick Jr of Vale, John (Kathy) of Carson City, Nevada, Dan (Jeanne) of Westfall, Bob (Meg) of Oroville, Washington, Dave (Becky) of Adrian, Oregon and Frank (Kelly) of Westfall, as well as numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Nelora loved her family very much and will be greatly missed.
A celebration of life for both Richard and Nelora will be held June 11, 2023, at 1 p.m. at the ranch in Westfall. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Malheur Country Historical Society.