Louise H. Worden

Louise Emmy Hanson Worden, of Orlando, Fl., passed away March 16th. She was born in Jamestown, N.Y. on March 17, 1921 to John and Emmy Hanson, Swedish immigrants. She was preceded in death by her husband Harold, her parents John and Emmy Hanson, and sisters Joanne Hanson Sucher and Marguerite Hanson Olsen. She is survived by her two sons, Dale Worden and John Worden, her daughter and son-in-law, Sandy Worden Pickett and Barry Pickett; four grandchildren: Karrie Worden Linke, Bryan Pickett, Kevin Pickett, Kristy Pickett White; six great-grandchildren, Collin Curry, Amber Huff, Gracy Joy White, Jakob Pickett, Brayden Pickett, Felicia Pickett, and one great-great-grandchild coming in July. Following graduation from Jamestown High School, Louise worked as a secretary. She loved to roller skate, and met her future husband, and love of her life, Harold, at the skating rink. In 1957, she and Harold, along with Dale and Sandy, moved to Florida, so they didn’t have to shovel snow anymore. Locating in Miami for a short time, and then moving to Orlando, she remained a wonderfully dedicated wife and homemaker. Then in 1959 Louise and Harold's son, John was born. Louise was a long-standing member of Audubon Park Covenant Church, where she was active with the Women Ministries and loved singing in the choir. She loved making ceramic dolls, and even made a Shirley Temple doll for her sister, Joanne, who looked just like that when she was young. She enjoyed painting, and you could find several of her artworks on the walls in her home. Family vacations always included going to visit her mom and older sister in Miami, and visiting her younger sister and family, in Falls Church, Va. She always enjoyed visiting her niece and nephews, Ann, Alan, and Jay, and watching their families grow. She also loved vacationing on the beach. In 1969, she and Harold moved to Ohio, but decided after one short year, that was the wrong choice, and came back to Orlando. After Harold passed away in 1993, she lived independently for 22 years, including driving herself around in her 90’s. She continued as a member of the Walkers Club, where she met many lifelong friends. They took several exciting trips together, in addition to enjoying one another’s company while walking through the local mall, and then of course, having snacks at the Food Court. Louise became very actively involved with a local entertainment group, The Goldentones, singing and tap dancing at area schools and nursing homes, which brought her as much joy as it did the ones they were entertaining. She was a member of the Miniature Club, where she learned to build doll houses, one of which is a replica of the home where she grew up in Jamestown. As the social butterfly that she was, she also loved being a Red Hat Lady, going to luncheons and on short day trips. She was very active in the Martin Retirees Club, AARP, and in the 1980’s, she was the President of the Orange County Young Homemakers Club. Louise was passionate about volunteering at the Orlando Union Rescue Mission, Red Cross, as well as local Senior Centers, and many events held at her church. She loved dressing up in festive attire, for all holidays, like Valentine’s Day, the 4th of July, Halloween, and of course, St. Patrick’s Day, since that was her birthday. Christmas was her favorite time of year, and she always fixed a family ‘smorgasbord’ meal, including the best homemade apple pie ever, on Christmas Eve, before attending the Christmas Eve service at church. Christmas mornings were such fun and surprising times. Louise performed in the church’s Living Nativity outreach event for over 10 years, as the Market Place lady, selling jewels—coincidentally, at one point in her life, she enjoyed doing home parties, selling Sarah Coventry Jewelry. Her last five months were very difficult, after falling and breaking her hip while walking at the mall. Many other issues developed after residing in several different rehab facilities, with 4 additional hospital stays. That time gave her family and friends many opportunities to be with her, and to take care of her, as she had always taken care of them. She was a fighter, and very determined to get well and go back to her independent lifestyle, but her body finally just got too tired, and she was ready for God to bring her home with His Angels. She was a devout Christian, and I know we will see her again one day. She will be missed by everyone she touched, but especially by her family. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, March 20th, at Audubon Park Covenant Church, 3219 Chelsea St., Orlando, Fl. 32803. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the church.