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Laurita E. Abendroth Leuthold ’40

A picture of Laurita Abendroth Leuthold

Laurita E. Abendroth Leuthold ’40, December 4, 2005, in Government Camp, Oregon. Laurita earned a BA from Reed in general literature, and continued her education at the University of Washington until the outbreak of World War II, during which she worked for Boeing Aircraft in Seattle. Following the war, she entered the ski operation business. In 1946, she married renowned Oregon mountaineer and skier, Joseph R. Leuthold; they had one daughter. The Leutholds lived at Government Camp, where they operated the Summit Ski Area. Laurita later worked as a manager at Multorpor-Ski Bowl. "I am among the lucky ones, whose recreational pursuits led to a vocation and a way of life," she wrote in 1990. "Little did I know how influential and useful my skiing, climbing, and hiking activities in the Reed Outing Club would be." In the wintertime, the couple skied, and in summers, they did mountain climbing in the West and in Canada. After Joseph died in 1965, Laurita and her daughter, Toni, continued the tradition of skiing and climbing. Their yearly "adventurous" trips took them to such destinations as Europe, China, New Zealand, Chili, Ecuador, and four African countries. Laurita once stated that the exceptional professors she met at Reed, and the fine humanities course, led to her greater appreciation of her outdoor life—"endless snow shoveling and all." Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law.

Appeared in Reed magazine: May 2006