Former Bainbridge Island resident Catherine “Peggy” Rariden, 67, of Newport, Ore., died March 5, at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Portland from complications following open-heart surgery.

She was born June 10, 1936, in International Falls, Minn., to Bessie (Wheeler) and Louis Harris. When she was 11, she moved with her family to Portland and then to Newport. She graduated from Newport High School in 1954.

She worked as an emergency room nurse at Harborview Hospital in Seattle, then was a logger in Oregon and California with her husband of 10 years, Robert Rariden.

She was a fish buyer in Florence, Ore., for several years, then worked as a chef and head of room service for Hilton Hotels in Seattle and Anchorage, Alaska. In Alaska, she sold gold jewelry on military bases and Eskimo reservations.

She moved to Seattle in 1979, and continued working for Hilton Hotels. When her partner, Norman Williams, died in 1981, she began a career in massage and skin care.

She returned to Newport in 1987 and opened Mardel’s and Company with her sister. Most recently, she was the coordinator for the Newport Senior Activity Center. She volunteered for the Newport Loyalty Day and Sea Fair Festival, Newport Alumni Association, Ernest Bloch Music Festival, BAY Music Association, Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, Newport Seafood and Wine Festival, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Chocolate Classics, Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, and the Lincoln County Children’s Advocacy Center. She was co-president of Lincoln Council on Aging, and was a member of the Newport Elks Lodge.

Survivors include two daughters, Rebecca Donaldson and Lori Rariden, both of Newport; a son-in-law, Steven Donaldson; two sisters, Alice Silverman of Grants Pass, Ore., and Josephine “Dolly” Volm of Lake Oswego, Ore.; sister-in-law, Lucille Martin of Newport; grandchildren Sam Rariden and Catey Donaldson; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, great-great nieces and great-great nephews, and other relatives in the Lincoln County area and throughout Oregon.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. March 17 at the First Presbyterian Church, Newport, Ore., with a celebration of life at 5 p.m. at the Newport Performing Arts Center. Contributions can be made to the elevator fund at the Newport Senior Activity Center.