Mary F. VanAlst

She was born in Portland on September 21, 1921 to Elba and Anabel Heard and grew up in Southeast Portland with her siblings Jerry and Peggy. She attended Cleveland High School, which was called Cleveland Commerce High School.

After high school, her friends Hank and Boots introduced Mary to Gordon Van Alst. On double dates, they danced at the original Crystal Ballroom and then went for milkshakes at the Tik Tok Drive-In, Portland’s first drive-in restaurant on East Burnside and 12th.

Mary traveled by ship to Honolulu, Hawaii to marry Gordon in 1941 while he found work in construction during WWII. She often told her story of hearing the first radio reports of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and living under martial law, a 6:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M. curfew and strictly enforced nighttime blackout. She also fondly told the story of the surprise she felt when she got pregnant the first month of marriage. A few years later, Mary and Gordon returned to Portland and built a home for their family of four daughters, Anne, Kristine, Jodine and Vicki.

She enjoyed entertaining and playing bunko with her friends. She also loved working with Gordon as a bookkeeper for their business, G. Van Alst Co., which sold industrial air conditioning, heating and refrigeration equipment.

Even with a busy family at home, they kept their marriage fresh. They square danced at the D Street Corral on Division Street, the hottest place in Portland for country western square dancing in the 1950s. It had the second largest dance floor in the west and a floor so well polished you could see your reflection.

As a family, Gordon and Mary took their girls camping and waterskiing during the summer. Gordon drove his boat and he and his friends built a dock at Lacamas Lake in Clark County, Washington. Gordon grumbled about the fishermen, and ironically, became an avid fisherman later in life. Always happy to engage in whatever new activity Gordon embraced, Mary also learned to fish and sometimes out-fished her husband.

Having grown up during the Great Depression in Portland, Mary always saw re-use potential in things. Most of her writing took place on the back of used mailing envelopes, she found many uses for twisty bread sack ties and she was a master mender, elongating the lives of many socks in her immediate and extended family. She enjoyed daytime drama television, and she and Gordon liked to watch “Dallas” together.

They also loved to learn and travel. An instrument rated airplane pilot, Gordon flew his Piper Twin Commanche to meet with business clients and attend conventions. Mary was his trusty navigator. They took their girls to places such as the Montreal World Fair in 1967, and golfing trips to Sun Valley, Idaho and Sunriver, Oregon. As a member of the Columbia Aviation County Club, they regularly traveled with other couples.

Gordon passed away suddenly in a boating accident on the Columbia River in 1997. Mary did her best to greet the rest of her life with optimism, staying close to friends and family. But their adventures of crossing the country by plane or RV had come to an end. In her last years, she spoke often of the influence of her Angel Gordon whenever good fortune would strike.

Mary will be remembered for her appreciation of all things sparkly and colorful. She filled her house with iridescent glass vases, butterfly decor and brightly colored Japanese art. She rarely left the house without her trademark bright pink lipstick, twinkling pins and round sparkly clip earrings.

Mary was blessed to have her daughters and grandchildren live near her for all her life. On every visit with her youngest grandchild, Margot, she lovingly commented on seeing Gordie’s blue eyes in her.

Eight years ago, Mary was chosen to participate in a Department of Veterans Affairs-funded brain-aging study conducted in collaboration with the Layton Aging & Alzheimer's Disease Center at OHSU. The study started with 293 participants, including Mary, from the Portland area, all in good health and showing no signs of memory impairment.

The volunteers were given annual exams in which researchers investigated activities, moods and intellectual function with cognitive tests. The group was part of a larger study that helped researchers confirm that a certain genetically determined protein is a high-risk factor for those who develop Alzheimer's.

Mary agreed to donate her brain to the study upon her death. She hoped studying these brains will help future generations understand how Alzheimer's can be prevented.

Survivors include her daughters Anne Marie Cox of Portland; Kristine Martens of Portland; Jodine Hurdle of Milwaukie; and Vicki Studeny of Longview, WA. She leaves a legacy of seven grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and one great, great grandson.

The family requests remembrance gifts go to the Gordon & Mary Van Alst Math Achievement Award at the Oregon Community Foundation. Checks made payable to The Oregon Community Foundation, fbo Van Alst Subfund, may be mailed to OCF, 1221 SW Yamhill St., #100, Portland, Oregon 97205. Or, at http://www.oregoncf.org/give/give-now. Scroll down to "P" for Portland Public School District 1J - Gordon & Mary Van Alst Math Achievement Award.