Rest In Peace, Borah Van Dormolen

Republican Party of Texas - The Texas Federation of Republican Women and the Republican Party of Texas, together, with heavy hearts, have been asked by the family to inform those in Borah’s Republican family of the tragic passing of our beloved friend, Lt. Col. Borah Van Dormolen. Borah passed away at 2:00 pm this afternoon as the result of a serious heart attack she suffered last week. All of us who are members of the TFRW and are active within the RPT are devastated by the loss of such a wonderful woman who devoted so much of her life to the betterment of her country.

After serving her country in the US Army and achieving the rank of Lt. Colonel, Borah continued to commit her life to promoting the values of liberty and freedom when others might have retired quietly. In 2010 she was honored as the “Distinguished Military Retiree” for Texas for her outstanding contributions to both active duty and retired service members and their families. She also held a gubernatorial appointment to the Texas State Cemetery Commission.

As of today, Borah was serving her second term as Republican National Committeewoman from Texas and had recently been elected to represent the Lone Star State on the Rules Committee of the RNC. She also served as President of the Texas Federation of Republican Women, and dedicated her many talents to different board positions within the TFRW for many years. She also served on the Executive Committee of Maggie’s List, a political action committee focused on recruiting, training and supporting women running for congressional office. Borah was not only a servant but also a mentor for candidates and volunteers and was responsible for hosting candidate trainings across the state of Texas. Borah has been active in hundreds of campaigns, organizing and leading volunteers in critical voter identification and Get Out the Vote efforts. Through all of her volunteer work, Borah found time to be a loving wife. She and her husband, Rich Castle, recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on a cruise through the Pacific.

Republican leaders and friends across the state and nation today mourn her loss.

From Republican Party of Texas Chairman Steve Munisteri, “One of the great privileges of my life is to get to know and work with someone whom I consider to be an amazing woman, Borah Van Dormolen. Over the past several years I have had a chance to personally observe her tireless work on behalf of the Republican Party of Texas but more importantly on behalf of the country she loved dearly and served so well for so long. It is hard to believe that she is gone, having just been with her at last weekend’s SREC meeting when she was her usual, passionate, energetic and inspiring self. What always impressed me the most about Borah was her kind hearted spirit and how she always treated other people with dignity and respect. There will never be another Borah and we will miss her deeply. On behalf of the RPT family, we extend our heartfelt condolences to her husband, Rich, and to her family.”

From Texas Federation of Republican Women President, Carolyn Hodges, “TFRW mourns the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Borah Van Dormolen. Borah was an inspiration to me as I began my path as a Republican Woman. Her leadership in the Texas Federation of Republican Women was bold and decisive. Her common sense, her sense of humor, intelligence, and caring for Republicans set her apart from others. She was a dynamic and enthusiastic leader who was respected and loved across our state and nation. Borah traveled tirelessly across Texas giving her all. Everyone who met and heard Borah immediately began to share her enthusiasm and vision. Let us all carry on as Borah would want us to do and be the Republicans she would be proud of - focusing on unity.”

At this time, memorial arrangements are pending. The RPT and TFRW will inform you of the details as soon as we have them.