Doris 'Doe' Burn

[John_Scurlock]

I received word today that Doris Burn passed away yesterday in Bellingham. She was the daughter of Lage Wernstedt, the legendary explorer and surveyor of the Pasayten country and the North Cascades. She accompanied Lage on at least one of his survey trips when she was a child, probably in the early 1930s. To those of you familiar with the central Pasayten Wilderness, her name is applied to Lake Doris; Fred's Lake is for her brother. Mt. Lago, of course, is named after Lage himself, and Dot Mountain is for her mother, Adele (Dotty). (Lage named Dot Mountain for her because it reminded him of the curve of her nose!) I've posted Doe's obituary below.

 

JS

___________________________________________________________

 

Doris Burn

 

Please join us in deep gratitude for the life and legacy of Doris (Doe) Burn, a well-known author and illustrator of children’s books, beloved Burn family matriarch, and inspiring role model for artists and children of all ages.

Doe was born in Portland, Oregon, April 24, 1923. Her father, Lage Wernstedt, emigrated from Sweden in 1910. After graduating from Yale University School of Forestry, Lage worked as a surveyor and map maker for the U.S. Forest Service based in Portland. Doe’s mother, Adele (Dotty) Wilcox Wernstedt Graham, lived to the age of 106 on Guemes Island, near Anacortes, Washington. Lage was a pioneer mountaineer. Doe’s fondest memories included a childhood summer with her father camping by horseback in the Cascade Mountains, the precursor of a lifetime love of nature and enthusiasm for hiking, roughing-it, and adventuring.

When Lage was stationed in the Mount Baker region, Doe attended Bellingham Normal School at Western Washington University. Lage was interviewed by June Burn for her column in the Bellingham Herald, and that began a lifelong co-mingling with the Burn family. The Wernstedts bought land next to the Burns and Chevaliers on Waldron Island and built a summer cabin. Doe and her brother Fredrick (Fred) Wernstedt summered on Waldron, romping on the sandflat under the madrona tree with the “Burn boys”, North and South (Bob), and the “Chevalier kids”, Marge, Betty, and Billy. From Portland, Lage drove north every summer to Bellingham, up Highway 99 and along Chuckanut Drive. They spent the night in the hotel across from the Leopold and early the next morning caught the Chickawana, the boat that delivered mail and freight to the San Juan Islands, including Waldron. The aromas of wild roses and salt water became engrained in Doe’s being as the scent of home.

Doris Wernstedt and South (Bob) Burn were married at the end of World War II. They made their home on Waldron Island in a log cabin they built themselves. Bob and Doe separated after eight years of marriage, but they remained close friends and neighbors throughout their lives. Bob died in 1994 and North died in 1980. Doe loved them both.

Doe is survived by her brother Fred Wernstedt, her four children: Skye Burn, Mark Burn, Cameron Burn, and Lisa Burn, 15 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. Skye and Lisa live in Bellingham, Mark lives in Port Townsend, and Cameron lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. For the extended Burn family, the place on Waldron is the soul of home.

Doris Burn was a children’s book writer and illustrator. Her first book Andrew Henry’s Meadow, published in 1965, won the Washington State Governor’s Art Award. Doe wrote and/or illustrated a total of eleven books, including The Summerfolk, When I First Came to this Land (based on a song by Oscar Brand), We Were Tired of Living in a House (by Liesel Moak Skorpen), and Christina Katerina & the Box (by Patricia Lee Gauch). The Tale of Lazy Lizard Canyon, her final book, was published in 1976. Andrew Henry’s Meadow is still in print (San Juan Publishing). In addition, Philomel Books, a Young Reader division of Penguin Group, will soon publish a new edition.

Andrew Henry’s Meadow is considered a classic. Doe still receives fan letters from readers. What many people do not know is that she had no formal art training. Illustrating books for children was a childhood dream which she manifested with passion, persistence, and courage. In 1956, a few months after the birth of her last child, Lisa, Doe borrowed $500 from her friend Russ Thorson. She and Lisa traveled by train to New York City where Doe took her portfolio to publishers for feedback. Doe received enough encouragement to keep her dream alive through tough but wonderful years of raising four children mostly on her own on Waldron Island, in a log cabin without electricity or running water. She provided such a rich life for her children they did not know they were poor. Skye, Mark, Cameron, and Lisa remember Doe working late into the nights, drawing by kerosene lamplight with the fireplace fire crackling in the background.

Doe’s legacy includes a way of looking at life which emphasizes creativity, independence, and the importance of following dreams and never speaking ill of others. Doe is remembered for the sparkle in her clear blue eyes, her sense of beauty, love of art and literature, zest and playfulness, her enthusiasm for prolonged and deep intellectual conversations, and, in later years, her spiritual faith and vision.

From 1980 until 1994, Doe lived in Oakland, California, where she became a Christian. Doe’s Christian faith remained a core of her life until she died on March 9, 2011. One of her favorite passages was Peter 1:19, which speaks of “a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts”. As death approached, Doe said frequently “Love is everything”.

Doe Burn’s burial will occur on Waldron Island March 13th. A memorial service will be held 2:00 pm, Saturday, March 26th in the Leopold Retirement Residence Ballroom, 1224 Cornwall Avenue, Bellingham, WA 98225. Memorial gifts can be made in the name of Doris Burn to the Waldron Island Community Library, care of Judie Wilgress, Treasurer, PO Box 56, Waldron, WA 98297.

 

[boadman]

I'll probably be at the burial this weekend, she was an old family friend. I never really new her, but she took my parents in when they were kids. Her books are among my kids' favorites, just like they were mine. I just read them Andrew Henry's meadow last night before bed.