1938 - Sep 14, 2009

Doreen "Dee" Gatten, a 1956 Claremont High School graduate, died on Sept. 14. Born at Pomona Valley Hospital in 1938, Ms. Gatten was the youngest daughter of Edith Vaniva Gatten and Walter Gatten, both of whom attended Pomona College in the early 1900s.

While attending Claremont High School, she got involved in a variety of sports and participated in the Girls Athletic Association (GAA). 1956 classmate Heidi Balch noted how well liked she was on the CHS campus. Ms. Gatten served on the Class of 1956 reunion committee, organizing the reunions as well as additional luncheons and events. At the get-togethers, friends would gather around Ms. Gatten and her "albums and albums," of pictures from the high school days, according to Ms. Balch.
"It was important for her to keep in contact with her classmates," said Ms. Balch. "She always wanted to keep in touch."

After attending Mt. Sac for one year, during which time she joined the swim team and sang in the musical "Brigadoon." She began working for the General Telephone Company, moving from repair clerk to dispatch and then to a position as a customer service representative after a 150-day strike.

Fed up with traffic and smog, in the late 1960s Ms. Gatten decided to get a job at the Remuda Guest Ranch in Wickenburg, Ariz., a place where she had vacationed in the past. At the ranch, she served in a variety of positions, including housekeeper, kitchen assistant, waitress, head waitress, office helper and, finally office manager.
With the Remuda Guest Ranch closed during summers, Ms. Gatten headed to Lake Vallecito, Colo., where she worked at a ranch called Wits End doing housekeeping, cooking for hunters, and working in the office. "I did some wrangling then, too!" she wrote in her CHS class of '56 biography. Following the ranch-hand trajectory, Ms. Gatten spent some time as a caf/ waitress just outside Yellowstone National Park (enjoying the bears and snow on July 4) and then worked in a number of positions at the Wickenburg Inn and Tennis Ranch, ultimately taking charge of the reservations department.

In 2000, Ms. Gatten reconnected with a gentleman from her past, Walter Vos, which led her to life in Wrightwood. "Growing up in Claremont, we all saw Mt. Baldy from the south. Now I can see it from the north. Fun!" she wrote in her CHS class of '56 biography. For many years, Mr. Vos was Ms. Gatten's "companion, significant other, partner or whatever term you want to use!" she wrote. In Wrightwood, Ms. Gatten followed her passion for reading by volunteering for Friends of the Phelan Library. She served as the Friends' historian, participated on the fundraising committee, helped with book sales and faithfully attended meetings. "She was always there when needed. She was very loyal," said Lenore Coale, founding president and current historian of the Friends organization. "Even though her health began to fail, she would still come and contribute where she could."

Living in a mountainous area fueled Ms. Gatten's interest in bird watching and nature as well as photography. She enjoyed strolling about, taking pictures of critters and the beautiful surroundings. "She loved, as I did, all the animals and little creatures," said Fran Baker of the Friends of the Phelan Library. "She was very calm, and just very easy to be around." Revealing another side of Ms. Gatten, her niece Teresa Gatten spoke of her aunt's "colorful personality and wicked sense of humor." "She had a very dry sense of humor, and, boy, she could crack the whip," she commented.

Ms. Gatten is survived by her nieces Laurie, Sue Anne and Teresa; her nephew Matthew; her many grandnieces and grandnephews; and her longtime companion, Walter Vos. She was preceded in death by her older brother Walter Gatten, Jr. of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and by his wife Helen Markos Gatten.
The family will hold a private wake in Ms. Gatten's honor.

Memorial contributions may be made to Friends of Phelan Library, 9898 Clovis Rd., Phelan, CA 92371.

- Wickenburg Sun, The (AZ) - Wednesday, October 7, 2009