Clara Dolores Dee Pardun, 81, of Chambersburg, passed peacefully into heavenly life on Tuesday morning, July 24, 2012, at home with her family by her side.

Born at home October 29, 1930 in Skykomish, Wash., Dee was the oldest daughter of Clara (nee Jensch) and Harold Wesley Maronda. She graduated from Independence High School in 1948, and shortly thereafter moved to Hermiston, Ore., with her family. There she met and married Henry R. Pardun, a returning WWII veteran, in the summer of 1949.

She worked for many years in the public relations office at the Umatilla Army Depot. Dee moved to Chambersburg, Penn., in 1963. She was an active member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and served as council secretary and on various committees through the years. She was a also board member and volunteer for the Lutheran Social Services Auxiliary. A dedicated journalist, she was the editor of The Shippensburg News Chronicle from the 1970s until her retirement.

Dee enjoyed history, politics, antiques and auctions, Phillies baseball, traveling, writing, and spending time with her family. Dees grace under pressure, compassion for others, and the manner in which she enriched lives was truly a gift. She was very loved and will be missed dearly by family and friends alike.

Dee is survived by three sisters, Helen Maronda of Kennewick, Wash., Carole Innes of Pendleton, Ore., and Jacqueline Golladay of Kennewick, Wash.; niece Kathy Davis of Salem, Ore.; two children, Sandra Pardun of Chambersburg and Peter Pardun (and wife Brenda) of Maytown, Penn.; grandchildren Laurie Cook of Lancaster, Penn., Whitney Pardun of Phoenix, Ariz., and Rebekah Pardun and Caleb Pardun of Maytown, Penn.; son-in-law Steven Cook and great-grandson Patrick Henry Cook of Piedmont, Okla., and great-grandchildren Emily Caldwell Cook and Richard (RJ) Caldwell of Chambersburg.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, older brother Harold Walter Maronda, and infant great-granddaughter Hope Caldwell Cook.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 26 West Commerce Street, Chambersburg, with the Rev. Dr. Neal O. Hively officiating.

The family expresses heartfelt gratitude and thanks to the the aides and nurses at LHCH that cared for Dee with such love and devotion in her final years. Online condolences may be expressed at sellersfuneralhome.com.