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PrintJohn Richard Borton, 1912-2012
John Richard Borton pictured in 1937.
Courtesy Borton Fruit Company
John Richard “Dick” Borton, patriarch of the Borton Fruit Company family, died December 1 at his home in Yakima, Washington, at the age of 100.
Dick was born on May 30, 1912, in Albany, Oregon, the middle of three sons. Soon after he was born, his father Byron Sarver Borton moved the family to the Yakima Valley where he became the head schoolmaster at Marks School and purchased a 20-acre orchard nearby.
Dick graduated from Yakima High School in 1930. After graduating from Washington State College with a degree in electrical engineering, he worked for Pacific Power and Light. In 1938, he married Veda Marie Nansen from Almira, Washington.
In 1946, he joined his father and his brother Byron in the farming business. He managed the warehouse packing and bookkeeping, He retired shortly after his son John and nephew Bill joined the business in 1972.
Dick is survived by son John and daughter Barbara Kinlock, five grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, his daughter Nancy, his parents Byron Sarver and Frances Mae Borton, his brothers Byron and Don, and his granddaughter April Borton.
A feature about the Borton family was published in the December 2012 issue of the Good Fruit Grower.
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