Lola Beth Moorman

BURLEY – Lola Beth Lindburg Moorman, a 94-year-old former longtime resident of Burley, passed away Thursday, December 7, 2017, at the Oregon Health Science University Hospital in Portland, Oregon.

Lola was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on August 13, 1923, the daughter of David and Vera Ann Nielsen Lindburg. Her parents built the first tourist camp in Eastern Idaho, a small store and gas station and twelve one-room cabins heated by coal stoves. She attended school in Idaho Falls until 1939, when she, her brother, Roy, and their parents moved to Boise. Lola graduated from Boise High School in 1941. During her school years she enjoyed acting and singing in school plays, being on the intermural debate team with Frank Church as her partner (winning the state championship in 1941), and active participation in the First Baptist Church youth group. She also loved to bowl.

After graduation, she attended Boise Secretarial College, graduating in 1944. She then went to work for Fisher’s Office Equipment in Boise as the secretary/bookkeeper and as a sales person when need arose. One day, when the other sales people were out, a man named Mark Moorman came in to purchase office furniture for the Burley Airport that he was managing at the time. He always said that when he found out she earned a commission on that sale, he had to marry her to get the commission back. This was the beginning of a union that lasted 50 years before Mark passed away in 1997.

They lived in Burley for a year, then sold the flying service and moved to Townsend, Montana, purchasing a farm/ranch where they raised cattle, hay, grain and potatoes. Lola cooked for the workers who were employed to work on the ranch. Their first daughter, Marla, was born during their stay in Montana. They sold the ranch in 1952 and moved back to farm in the Milner area.

A son, David, and daughter, Betsy, were born while living in the Milner area. Nephew, Garrett Lindberg, joined the family in 1974 upon the death of his parents.

Lola and Mark moved to Burley in 1981 after remodeling Mark’s parents’ home. Their son, David, passed away in 1997, followed by Mark the same year. In 2012, Lola moved to Portland, Oregon, to live near Betsy.

Lola’s friends and activities were an integral part of her life. Her long-time friends were dear to her heart. She was a member of the Burley United Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday school for nine years, sang in the church choir, and held a number of other offices. She was a member and past president of PEO - Chapter J, an organization to which she belonged for more than 50 years. She was a youth leader, Camp Fire girls leader, and Den Mother, as well as taking on a number of “jobs” in Job’s Daughters. Additionally, Lola put in over 6000 hours in Pink Ladies at the hospital, including serving as president.

Bridge was a real passion for Lola, and she enjoyed playing with special friends, some since 1953. She enjoyed quilting and made many lovely quilts over the years. She belonged to the Mount Harrison Quilting Guild, where she served a term as president.

She is survived by her daughters, Marla (Stan) Hicks of Garden City, Idaho, and Betsy Moorman of Tigard, Oregon; Garrett Lindberg of Portland, Oregon; and her sister-in-law, Celia Kunau of Burley. In addition to her husband and son, she was preceded in death by her parents and brother, David LeRoy Lindberg.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, December 19, at Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, where friends and family may call from 6 until 8 p.m. Monday, December 18, and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. prior to the service.

The family suggests memorials be directed to a charity of choice in memory of Lola.