Billie Diane Fifer Frost - March 29, 1943 ~ May 19, 2016

Billie Diane Fifer Frost, 73, died on Thursday, May 19, 2016 at Pioneer Nursing and Rehabilitation in Vale, Oregon. There will be a viewing on May 30 from 6-8 p.m. at the Vale Christian Church. Memorial services will be held on May 31 at 11 a.m. at the Vale Christian Church with lunch provided afterwards. Billie will be laid to rest at a later date at the Valley View Cemetery Vale, Oregon. Services under the direction of Lienkaemper Chapel, Vale.
Billie was born on March 29, 1943 in Ontario, Oregon to Lester Fifer and Margaret Buchert Johnson. She was the oldest of four children raised on a small dairy farm east of Vale, Oregon. Billie attended school in Vale for twelve years and graduated in 1961.
After briefly attending Eastern Oregon State College in LaGrande, Billie took a job in Ontario, Oregon as a waitress at the Moore Hotel, where she met her future husband, Tony Frost. Tony and Billie were married at the Ontario Christian Church on May 9, 1964. They were joined in 1969 by their first son, John, and in 1972 by another son, Paul. The family moved in 1974 to their home on Idaho Street where they lived for many years.
In 1980, Billie resumed her education at Treasure Valley Community College where she graduated in 1983. In 1986, she received a B.A. in reading and art education from the College of Idaho where she was enrolled as a nontraditional student. Soon afterwards, she completed additional graduate course work at Boise State.
Billie began her life as a teacher in the fall of 1988, when she joined the Nyssa Elementary staff as a teacher's assistant in the Special Ed department. In 1989, Billie helped teach reading and speech development to second graders. Billie enjoyed working in Nyssa and made many life-long friends. She began working for the Vale School District in 1990 where she taught art for the seventeen years to students across many grade levels. Billie hoped to instill a love of art in all forms and always said that anyone could learn to draw. She brought that perspective to her classroom on a daily basis. Over the years, Billie was also very active in the community both in the schools and the arts. Reflecting for her contributions, she received the Citizen of the Year award in 2013 from the Nyssa Chamber of Commerce.
In 2000, Billie and Tony moved to a new home south of Nyssa overlooking the Snake River. She enjoyed helping with the garden, spending time with her greatly loved grandchildren and traveling. She was a member of the Vale Christian Church and very much appreciated the fellowship and support of the church over the years. Billie also spent much time in the past few years reconnecting with family including many distant cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Lester Fifer and Margaret Buchert Johnson, a sister, Patricia (Bob) Ownby, and a grandson, Nolan E. Frost.
Survivors include her husband, Tony Frost, Nyssa; siblings, Lawrence "Larry" (Diana) Fifer, Nyssa and Ronna (Jim) Creitz, Pullman, Washington; children, John Frost (Melanie Richey), Caldwell, Idaho and Paul (Maggie Xenopoulos) Frost, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada; grandchildren, Christopher, Caitlyn, Ryan, Brooklyn, and Rozlyn, all of Caldwell Idaho, Joey, Andy, and Zachary, all of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Donations made to the Sarcoma Alliance (http://sarcomaalliance.org/donate/ ) or Vale Alumni Association would be greatly appreciated by the family. Condolences may be made to the family at www.lienkaemper-thomason.com.