Aileen Dorella McCurdy

Aileen was born January 19, 1934, in the southeastern Idaho farming community of Firth. Her kind and loving parents were Reuben and Ida Peterson who lived on Wolverine Road, east of town.

Aileen rode the bus to Firth Elementary and Firth High School. She participated in school activities and cheered on her teams as a member of the Glee Club. She served as High School Class secretary and treasurer. She was in charge of collecting the orders and safeguarding all of the money for senior class rings and pins. She was nervous to be in charge of that great sum of money and couldn’t wait to get it all turned in. Her younger sister Jean was her best friend and attended school with her. Their younger brother Stephen kept his sisters on their toes and rounded out the family.

In high school she noticed a boy named Bert McCurdy who was an all-sport athlete and was quarterback of the football team. He finally asked her to dance the night of their high school graduation in 1952. They started dating after that and then both attended Idaho State University in Pocatello. Aileen received her certificate in secretarial services and went to work in Idaho Falls at Bank of Idaho. Bert enlisted in the United States Marine Corp during the Korean War.

They were sealed together August 18, 1954, in the Idaho Falls Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while Bert was on leave from the Marine Corp. They lived in San Francisco while he completed his duty at the base on Treasure Island. After the Marine Corp they moved to Logan Utah where Bert attended Utah State University. It was there that Aileen gave birth to their first child, Kayleen, in January 1957.

Aileen easily found work at local banks as she was highly recommended by her previous employers because of her attention to detail. She worked hard each day to support their young family until they moved to Portland. Upon completion of school in Logan, they went to Physical Therapy School at the University of San Francisco. Following graduation, Bert was recruited by a physical therapy group in Los Angeles, CA. After a short time in LA, Bert was offered a partnership with his PT group to open the physical therapy department at St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, OR. In Portland, Aileen gave birth to their son Mark in October 1962 and then their daughter Kimberly in September 1968.

Portland, Oregon became home where they raised their children and built their dream home on the Rock Creek Golf Course in 1966. Aileen was very active in Church organizations serving in the Primary and Relief Society in various leadership positions. Aileen became known for her homemade bread. She would make loaves of bread and would deliver them hot from the oven to neighbors, friends, and even the garbage men. She also quietly served others with monthly visits to see how they were doing and to help out as needed, making memory books for care facilities and sewing balls for children’s programs.

In 2004, Bert and Aileen served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City, UT at the Family History Center. Aileen’s love for family history continued to grow and she shared her knowledge with many. Bert and Aileen celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in August 2024.

On July 26, 2025, Aileen passed away peacefully in her sleep. She is survived by her husband Bert, her children Kayleen Taylor (Brad), Mark McCurdy (Cherilyn), and Kim Cannon (John), 8 grandchildren: Nathan, Stephany, Kylie, Mitch, Hayden, Hallie, Annie and Abbey, 3 great grandchildren: Aria, Beckham and Adeline. Aileen’s greatest joy was being surrounded by her family.

Graveside services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 6, 2025 at the Goshen Cemetery under the direction of Nalder Funeral Home.

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