If the definition of evergreen is long-lasting and consistent, Dianne Dorey’s resume certainly earns her the title.
The longtime Lewis County assessor was honored Friday night at Centralia College during the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet, where she was given the Evergreen Award for outstanding public service. The award is given out every other year.
After 47 years working in the Lewis County Assessor’s Office, Dorey retired at the start of the new year.
The award was announced by new chamber board chair Coralee Taylor, who is also the CEO of The Chronicle and co-owns an advertising agency in Chehalis, the Silver Agency, as Dorey sat at the table nearest the stage. Her mouth curled into a smile as Taylor listed the winner’s traits and Dorey came to the realization of her achievement.
“The choice for the 2022 (winner) was an easy and clear one to make,” Taylor said, adding Dorey has been a community ambassador for the chamber since 1999, her service to the county and that her family has welcomed more than 125 foster children into their home.
“Which is absolutely amazing,” Taylor said.
Dorey has also volunteered with United Way of Lewis County, the county’s Foster Parent Association and the Foster Parent Association of Washington.
“I can’t tell you how honored and privileged I am — and humbled by this award. The previous recipients of this award have been many people I've admired in the community,” Dorey told the crowd Friday, later adding, “I want to thank my family and my friends … and all of you who, through the years, voted for me as assessor or worked with me side-by-side on any one of the community projects I was involved in.”
She added she was “thrilled.”
A Centralia resident, Dorey has previously expressed a hope to travel and maintain an active role in various community organizations during her retirement. She began working in the Lewis County Assessor's Office in 1975 after being the office manager of the Chehalis bureau of The Chronicle in the early ‘70s, which closed in the years following her departure.
