Dora Flamson Manderfeld (1924-2026)

By James G Flamson · Wed Oct 07 2026

DORA NELSON FLAMSON MANDERFELD

November 5, 1924 – August 29, 2026

Longtime Calistoga resident Dora Flamson Manderfeld passed away peacefully on August 29, 2026, at Cedars Care Home in Calistoga. She was 101. Born November 5, 1924, to Albert and Bertha Jones Nelson in Paso Robles, California, Dora was raised on an almond ranch in Kiler Canyon. As a child, she witnessed federal agents destroy her father’s homemade wine during Prohibition. Her father taught her to drive when she was 14, and she continued driving until the age of 95.

Dora graduated from Paso Robles High School in 1943 and proudly displayed her high school letterman sweater at her 100th birthday celebration in 2024. Also in 1943, she married her high school sweetheart, James H. Flamson, son of George Flamson whom the Paso Robles Middle School is named after. She worked for a San Luis Obispo physician, Dr. Smith, who delivered her two children, Janie and Jim. After James graduated from Cal Poly in 1950, the family moved to Calistoga, where he began his teaching career at Calistoga High School. In 1963, after he left teaching, the couple owned and operated the James H. Flamson Insurance Agency in Calistoga.

Dora later served as Napa County Justice Court clerk for Judge Oliver Northup in the former Calistoga Hotel on Lincoln Avenue. In 1968, when the court moved to Napa, Dora established the James Flamson Tax Service and prepared income tax returns each tax season. After James died of cancer in April 1974, Dora’s son, Jim, joined the firm, and together they continued operating the insurance and tax service.

Dora also made monthly trips to Fort Bragg, California, to manage bookkeeping, including payroll, for the Piedmont Hotel. In 1977, Dora married Robert H. Manderfeld. Together, they traveled extensively throughout the world and attended jazz festivals across the country. Robert was a cherished addition to the family and was fondly remembered by the grandchildren for his playful pranks and his 6:00 p.m. pajamas.

In 2007, Dora sold the family home on Grant Street to her stepson John Manderfeld and moved to Chateau Calistoga, where she spent the next 15 years enjoying the view from her back deck overlooking the Frediani Vineyard and the upper Napa Valley. Robert died in 2009, and Dora continued to share that view with neighbors Blake and Michelle Gilmore and their dog Joey, Trudy Burt, and many other friends and neighbors. She enjoyed red wine and Jack Daniel’s. In 2022, as her health declined, Dora moved to Brookdale Chanate assisted living in Santa Rosa, where she made new friends and was gently admonished for bringing her bottle of Jack Daniel’s to the dining room.

In January 2024, Dora returned to her beloved Calistoga when a room became available at Cedars Care Home, where she spent the remainder of her life. She was often seen around town in her wheelchair with her son, Jim. On one memorable outing, she arrived at the Cal Mart parking lot to find “Happy 100th Birthday Dora Flamson Manderfeld” displayed on the marquee, a tribute made possible by Bill Shaw.

Dora’s last wish was “to go home.” She will be laid to rest at the Paso Robles District Cemetery with her husbands, James and Robert, her parents and other relatives.

Dora is survived by her daughter Janie (Barry) Parker of San Diego, her son Jim (Kathy) Flamson of Calistoga, her stepson John (Lori) Manderfeld of Mill Valley, her grandchildren Lisa (Mike) Emmerson, Janeen Kozak, Thomas (Melissa) Flamson, and Daniel (Isabel) Flamson, her great-grandchildren Shannon (Eric) Schulte, Ryan (Elise) Kozak, Jake Kozak, Aliyah, Giovan, Rainn, and Tristan Flamson, and her great-great-grandchild James Schulte.

She was preceded in death by her brother, Austin Nelson.

The family extends its sincere gratitude to the staff at Cedars Care Home and to Drs. Dylla and Corvo for their compassionate care, as well as to Anchor Health Hospice for helping make Dora’s final transition peaceful.

Dora was deeply loved by all who knew her and will be remembered with affection and gratitude. Those wishing to honor her memory may raise a glass of wine or a toast of Jack Daniel’s in her name.