Obituary: Sylvia Dollarson

Sylvia Dollarson passed away on Dec 13, 2021. Mrs. Dollarson was a Beloved Community Leader and Elder of Pacific Northwest Family Circle, which she joined shortly after her great-grandson Moose Hayes (known only in death as Quanice Hayes) was killed by Portland police. Mrs. Dollarson had always been an advocate and activist for social justice. In the 60s, she proudly took her newest baby and other children to march with Dr. Martin Luther King in Chicago. Throughout her life, she fed houseless people weekly, and some even daily, out of her own personal budget and last year, she co-led the Black Lives Matter Car Caravan PDX events to raise awareness of institutional and interpersonal racism during the George Floyd uprisings.

Mrs. Dollarson was a pivotal elder in our organization. She was a woman of great strength, wisdom, and generosity. She was fierce and fearless, too. Pre-COVID, she and her daughter, Donna Hayes, would host our monthly meetings in person, arranging for the meeting room and feeding everyone. We remember her to be rather quiet most of the time. When she DID choose to share her thoughts, though, they were always informative and influential. Her presence, humor, and leadership in Pacific Northwest Family Circle will be sorely missed. We are grateful for the time she shared with us. May she rest in peace.

Sylvia Dollarson will be memorialized in a public event:
NOTE: memorial has been cancelled due to COVID