Yvon Gay

Yvon Gay was born to Earl and Ethel Llewellyn in Colfax WA. Her father was a railroader and station agent, and mother was a teacher. Yvon and her mother lived for a few years in a one room schoolhouse on the Spokane River. They moved in the seventh grade, to Farmington WA, where Yvon graduated from high school.

She graduated from Washington State University in 1954 and moved to Portland to teach in Parkrose schools. The next year Yvon and four other teachers moved into a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment in Northeast Portland. It became known as the Pooh House to all their friends. Bunny (Rabbit), Birdie (Christopher Robin), Mary (Hephalump), Marcia (Piglet) and Yvon (Eeyore), were friends for the rest of their lives. In fact, everyone with whom Yvon made friends, remained so for life. That includes her high school classmate, Donna (there were only two) and her college roommate, Blanche. Her friendship with Blanche continues through Blanche’s daughter Kathy and family. She also continues to correspond with a former 3rd grade student of hers, who is now a grandmother in Sweden.

After Pooh House, Yvon and Marcia lived together in SE Portland. Marcia and Richard were married in 1958 and remained so for 41 years. Yvon and Dwain were married in1959 and remained so for 33 years. After Marcia’s death in 1999, Yvon and Richard discovered they were meant to be together. They married in 2001 and remained happily married for 24 years. Added together, that’s 98 years of marriage experience. They both agreed they finally got it right!

Yvon will be fondly remembered for her infectious smile, wry sense of humor, and loving ways which she kept right up to her dying days. She loved writing, knitting, traveling, teaching, spending time with friends and family, and her Bible study. She especially loved spending time raising her son Dan and enjoyed when he and her grandchildren were able to visit. She was an open, accepting person who held a strong faith in God. She is dearly missed, yet we know she lives on through the lives she has touched.

Yvon is survived by her son, Daniel Estes (Thia) of Meridian, ID, stepchildren Alan Gay (Melanie) of Spokane, WA, Brina MacLeese of Vancouver, WA, Cathy Hansen (John) of Bozeman, MT, and Carla Gay (Miriam) of Portland, OR. She also had twelve grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Services are being planned to take place at The Springs at Tanasbourne in Hillsboro, OR on Saturday, June 28 at 11:00 AM.

Yvon would be most pleased to see donations in her name to St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital.