Dora Willeford; County’s 1st Female Deputy

Dora Ponce Willeford, the first female deputy for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, died Thursday at Santa Paula Memorial Hospital after a lengthy illness. She was 77.

Willeford, a Ventura resident, was born April 27, 1922, in Oxnard. She graduated from Oxnard High School in 1942 and went to work as a clerk at the Seabee base in Port Hueneme.

In 1943, Willeford was hired as a riveter at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach during World War II. Influenced by her older brother, Ernest Ponce, she joined the Oxnard Police Department in 1947 as a clerk.

In 1949, Willeford took the exam to become a deputy sheriff, and a year later was hired. At the time, there were 17 deputies on the force.

Willeford worked in patrol, investigations and corrections until she became the first female deputy to serve as a bailiff for the Ventura County Superior Court.

She retired from the department after 31 years of service. Department officials honored Willeford at the time by retiring her badge number, which was 1.

Willeford was an avid traveler, expert target shooter and crossword puzzle enthusiast. She was preceded in death by her husband of 31 years, Charles F. Willeford.

Willeford is survived by two sisters, Rosie Castruita of Oxnard and Gloria Lohner-Hall of Carson City, Nev.; three brothers, Charles of Camarillo, Raymond of Oxnard and Ignacio of Long Beach; and several nieces and nephews.

A rosary is scheduled for 7 p.m. today at the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home in Ventura. There will be a graveside service at 9 a.m. Monday at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.