Marjorie Ruth Collins Flaman

January 27, 1927 – March 21, 2010

Marjorie was born in La Grande, Oregon to Marjorie Olive Collins (Kline) and James Lawrence Collins. She was the middle of five sisters. The family moved to Metzger, Oregon in the 1930’s where her two younger sisters were born. The five sisters all graduated from Tigard High School. Her son, grandchildren and great grandchildren also attended the schools within the Tigard district.

Marjorie married Raymond Flaman of The Dalles, Oregon in 1948. She gave birth to her son, Michael J. Flaman in 1949. When they divorced Marjorie and Michael moved in with her mother in the house that her father built in Metzger where she grew up and lived there until her passing.

She is survived by her older sister, Dorothy Scott of Trout Lake, Washington, her younger sister, Evelyn Tinker of Eugene, Oregon, Brother-in-laws Ruthford Scott of Trout Lake, Washington and Bob Girard of Rockaway, Oregon. She was preceded in passing by her sisters, June Whitney, and Zeta Girard, and brother in-laws Al Whitney, and Les Tinker. She is survived by her son Michael Flaman of Thompson Falls, Montana, her grandson Derek Flaman of Salem, Oregon, and granddaughter Jennifer Kolstad of Tigard, Oregon. She has 5 great-grandchildren; Michael W. Flaman, Skyler Kolstad, Tiffany Flaman, Crisy Flaman, and Jonathan Flaman.

She was aunt to Linda Ullom, Janine Scott, Gary Scott, Rita Frye, Yvonne Girard, Daryl Girard, James Scott, Rhonda Girard, Greg Scott and Kim Bourgoine. She was great-aunt to 20 and great-great-aunt to 10.

Marjorie worked for Pacific Northwest Bell/US West/Qwest for thirty eight and one half years, as an operator, payroll clerk and plant managers assistant. She was a long term member of the Telephone Pioneers.

Marjorie was a very accomplished seamstress and produced many wedding and attendants dresses over the years.

Marjorie enjoyed travel and cruises and visited many countries including Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, Central America, Mexico, Europe, Hawaii, the Middle East and many of the United States.

Marjorie was especially fond of the many children she taught in Sunday school over the years, many called her Grandma Marge and kept in contact long after they were grown and had children of their own. She also was the senior’s coordinator at her church, organizing and planning their monthly excursions to many interesting places. Her numerous friends always found her loving and giving, ready to give a listening ear and a kind word of encouragement.

A private funeral will be held on March 31, 2010, at Young’s Funeral Home, 11831 SW Pacific Hwy, Tigard, Oregon, 97223 (503)-639-5773 with internment to follow at Crescent Grove Cemetery, 9925 SW Greenburg Road, Tigard, Oregon 97223, (503)639-5347. A memorial celebration of her life will be held at Living Hope Fellowship Church, 3350 Southwest 182nd Avenue, Aloha, Oregon, 97006, 503-649-HOPE (4673) at 1:00 PM on May 8th.

Contributions in remembrance of Marjorie may be made to Living Hope Fellowship church of Aloha, her church of many years.

Please visit the web site and sign the online guest book and post your memories of Marjorie at: http://www.mem.com/Default.aspx

Biography - "My Memories" published by Marjorie Ruth Flaman (Collins) 2009

The Berry-Kline Connection

The Berrys started west from Iowa in a covered wagon with 6 girls and 1 boy- Ellie, Ida, Riley, Bertha, Cora, Niley, and Nellie. Great Grandpa Berry was a Jack of all trades- minister, school teacher, store keeper- whatever was needed. They would travel as far as they could before winter set in and stay until the weather cleared up so they could start out again. They had an especially hard winter in Nebraska and I was told that some of the cows had their tails frozen off- hard to believe!

Cora, my Grandma Kline, was the 5th child. Several of her sisters got married along the way. Cora met my Grandfather, Albert Lewis Kline, at Fort Collins, Colorado. He was supposed to be going to California as a cowboy but changed his mind after meeting Cora, my pretty red-haired grandma. He traveled with them to Payette, Idaho where they were married and lived for several years. My mother, Marjorie Olive, was actually born there. Grandpa Kline was nicknamed “Rattlesnake Jack” as he could charm rattlesnakes. He had a jar of the rattles that I have actually seen. They moved from Payette to Huntington, Oregon where grandpa started working for the railroad. Grandma told us about the many tramps that traveled the rails in those days and would often stop by at their house- how times have changed! They moved from Huntington, Oregon to Lewisville, Washington which was north of Battleground. Lewisville is now just a state park- my Uncle Doug was born there. Grandpa still worked for the railroad with a run to the coast. They moved again- this time to La Grande, Oregon at 2001 Cove Avenue where they lived for over 50 years. They bought this house and never sold it until grandpa passed away in 1953 and grandma moved in with us in Metzger. Mother and Uncle Doug grew up in La Grande and it was there that Mother met Daddy. He was working at a furniture factory at the time. He was about 6 years older than Mother. They were married in 1917, and shortly afterwards he was inducted into the army. He was sent to France and was in charge of taking pack mules to and from the front lines. As he was originally from Missouri, a farm boy, he was one of only a few that knew how to handle mules. He always claimed mules were smarter than horses and couldn’t be driven ‘till they dropped like a horse could. At that time poison gases were being used by the Germans and Daddy was often exposed to it which effected his kidneys in later life. He came home safely after the war and they started our family- June, Dorothy and I were all born in La Grande. During the time Daddy was in the army, Mother worked for the City of La Grande reading light and water meters throughout the city and countryside. She walked the whole town but was given a horse and buggy for the rural areas.

NOTE: My grandparents and parent stories are continued in my memories.

My Memories By Marjorie Ruth Flaman

I was born in La Grande, Oregon on January 27, 1927. It was a home birth with a doctor in attendance. I was born a “blue baby” and not expected to live ‘till morning. (One valve of my heart didn’t open, I was told). My grandmother, Cora Kline, wouldn’t give up on me, so when the doctor stopped by the next morning he was surprised. The Lord had a purpose for my life! I was preceded in birth by my sisters, June Louise, born June 29, 1920 and Dorothy Edith, Born October 18, 1923. Mother had lost her only son in childbirth between June and Dorothy. We lived in a house that my father had built on the street behind my grandparents. In the summer of 1927, we moved to Lentner, Missouri to take over my Grandfather Collins’ farm, as he had passed away. My grandparents, “Jack” and Cora Kline went with us, driving their “Star” motor car. I was told how grandpa would always race ahead of us in our Model T Ford and we would catch up when they had broken down. My grandparents had rented their home thinking they would return after getting us settled. We had sold our home as we planned to make Missouri our permanent residence. Daddy developed malaria and was sick off and on all the time we were there. The doctor advised him that he wouldn’t get better unless he moved to a different climate. I was also having problems as we had pigs in our yard and I would eat dirt which gave me a tapeworm and again I almost died. The doctor said I needed to eat wild meat, so Daddy would hunt squirrels and Mother would make a broth, again, I survived. I don’t know anything about Missouri except what I have been told. My sister, June, went to school there, riding her horse in good weather. One time, the horse decided to run away with her. When Daddy captured it, he rode it ‘till it was “played out.” It never ran away again. In the winter, Daddy took June to school in a horse-drawn sled and Dorothy and I rode along in a mounted box that was covered with blankets. When they removed them to let June out, a cloud of steam would rise. In 1929, Daddy contacted his brother, Willard, who lived in Metzger, Oregon for his advice. Uncle Willard worked for the railroad and suggested that we move to Metzger, which we did. Again, my grandparents moved with us and rented a small house on the same street. We rented a house across from Metzger Park for $5 a month. Uncle Willard and Daddy started the Collins Fuel Company using wood for fuel. Uncle Willard furnished the truck, equipment and a mounted gasoline saw to cut the wood in stove-size pieces. Daddy would cut down the trees and saw it by hand into cord wood size which was split and hauled back home. Mother was often on the other end of a two-man saw in cutting down the trees. This was during the start of the “depression” so daddy was often paid by bartering. We acquired an oak upright piano that way, which Janine, my niece, still has. My sister, Zeta, was born in the house across from the park on October 26, 1930- a home delivery by Dr. Bissett of Tigard. It was there that I broke my arm while standing on our round swivel organ stool. It didn’t slow me down much. It was also there that I acquired a yellow Persian cat that I names “Pansy.” She lived to be 15 years old and was my companion and comforter when I was in trouble. As my mother was expecting another addition to our family, we moved to a larger house across from Uncle Willard and next door to the house my grandparents were renting. This house rented for $10 a month. My sister, Evelyn was born there on November 6, 1932- again, another home delivery by Dr Bissett. We now had room for a garden, chicken house, and a lean-to for our cow. As there were plenty of empty lots, we staked the cow and watered her in Ash Creek, as we did not have a fenced pasture. Mother sold butter and eggs. We all worked in the garden, filling the wood box, feeding the chickens, and gathering the eggs. We also had fruit trees there- a pear, apple and plum. I liked to climb the apple tree and sing as loud as I could. We had no inside bathroom so again we had a “outhouse” and took our baths in a wash tub set up in the kitchen with water heated on our kitchen stove. More than one of us used the same water, just adding more hot from the kettle to warm it up. Mother did the laundry in the kitchen also and hung it on outside clothes lines whenever possible. We also had a clothes rack and lines strung in the kitchen where things were hung on bad days. The washer had a wringer that Mother fed the clothes into and also two tubs for rinsing, one of which held the bluing water to whiten the clothes. We wanted to help but were thoroughly cautioned about getting our fingers in the wringer. We didn’t have a refrigerator, so Daddy dug a hole in the ground and put an old ice cabinet in it. Everything was covered to keep if clean. Mother canned a lot of fruit and tomatoes and we always raised an extra calf to butcher when the right size. I don’t remember ever being hungry. We were able to get flour, dried beans, and some canned food through the Washington County Relief Agency. Mother made most of our clothes, often altering hand-me-downs. Aunt Bertha was always kind to us and gave us presents at Christmas. She also bought the wild flowers, violets and trilliums that I picked so I would have a little money of my own. Cousin Eileen loved babies and would often wheel Zeta and baby Evelyn down the graveled street in our old baby buggy. Eileen and June were in the same grade at school and best friends. Cousin Catherine was older and had her own friends. Both Catherine and Eileen would play the piano for us which we loved as we sang along. Although we had a piano, we didn’t have money for leasons, so we just played by “ear”- Dorothy being the most talented. Mother could also play but didn’t have much time with 5 girls. Our entertainment was mostly playing board games, listening to music on our phonograph, or to the radio- the Lone Ranger, Fibber McGee and Molly, and on Saturday nights, the Hit Parade. Daddy would pay checkers with me, but I never won even at “give away.” Cousin Ralph was a few years older than me and I always looked up to him. He would tease Dorothy just to see her cry, I think, but we always seemed to get along well. He sometimes would give me a ride on his bike and once we had quite a spill. I still have the scar on my knee. One other time he wanted me to catch a metal hoop that he threw down from his upstairs window to me in the backyard. I was only 7 or 8 at that time and naturally couldn’t catch anything, so it bounced off my head knocking me out, giving me my second permanent scar. Aunt Bertha rushed me to Dr. Bissett, and again I survived. One Halloween, Ralph and some friends somehow got a cow on the school roof. He also removed their own front gate and put it on a telephone pole. Aunt Bertha had many sessions with the school principal, Mr. Baldwin. I still cared for Ralph and often felt he was my protector Being the middle child, I didn’t play with my sisters much as I was either too young or too old. We had neighbors, the Croses, who had 4 girls- two about Dorothy’s age, Nancy, my age, and Margie Ann, Zeta’s age. Nancy and I were best friends all through school although she was one grade ahead of me I often would do her chores for her so we could have time to play. I have another permanent scar received while playing at the Crose house. We were taking turns climbing up their door between the kitchen and dining room – they had a davenport that had square wooden arms- Eleanor pushed me and I hit my head on the corner of the arm between my eyebrows. Mrs. Crose stopped the bleeding with flour. I never went to the doctor for this, which is probably why I have a scar that looks like a frown line. The Croses were very good to us kids- during the summer on Saturdays; Mr. Crose would take us all to the Oaks Park and drop us off with Mrs. Crose about 8:00AM before any of the rides were open. All of us younger kids would pile in the back seat with Tiny crowded in the front seat between Mr. and Mrs. Crose, with no seatbelts of course. There were swings and other playground equipment and a monkey cage to entertain us at the park while we waited for the rides to open. The park gave us free tap dance lessons and had a “talent show” contest each Saturday during the summer. I sang with Nancy or my sisters, Zeta and Tiny. (We had started to call Evelyn, Tiny, because she was , and it was easier to say than Evelyn). We were always given free ride tickets and sometimes a roller skating ticket if we won one of the prizes, along with a little money. I don’t know how many times we sang “You are my Sunshine,” but often! During the afternoons we would walk up the hill to the Sellwood Park swimming pool and cool off. Mr. Crose would eventually pick us up after 10:00 PM and take us home. The park was dark and basically deserted. We stayed in one of the covered picnic areas and waited for him. He had been playing cards all day. Mrs. Crose always fed us and wanted us to bring brownies or some other dessert. One of the things I remember most while living in the house across from Uncle Willard and Aunt Bertha was the Christmas that I had to give my tricycle to Zeta. It had already been handed down to me and now it was her turn. I was allowed to ride it for the last time on Christmas Eve after Zeta had been put to bed. NOTE: While attending a Christmas program at the Beaverton Christian Church, we were asked to write about a special Christmas memory and I wrote about this even and won the contest- a CD of the performance. They read my story to the audience and called me up front to present me with the prize. Another time I will never forget was when Daddy was putting on a new roof and I was allowed to be up there with him and pull out the old nails as I was backing up, I heard in my mind a warning to stop. I looked behind me and saw that I was on the very edge. With another move, I would have fallen two stories down! I’m sure it was the Lord speaking to me or my Guardian Angle. P.T.L.! My grandparents moved back to La Grande about that time. I started attending Metzger Grade School in September of 1933. We had a 4 room school house with 2 grades in each room. We walked to school each day being summoned by the school bell. We cut through the park to save time and carried out lunches. Margaret Hargrave taught the first and second grades. I can still remember the alphabet mounted above the blackboards with pictures illustrating each letter and sound. Penmanship was one of the subjects that was taught. Mary Hargrave taught the third and fourth grades. She wanted us to appreciate music. So she had an old victrola on which she played classical music that we learned to identify and appreciate. It was during that time, 1935 or 1936, that the World War I veterans finally received their promised “soldier’s bonus.” I have no idea how much it was, but it did give us enough to replace our old Model T Ford with a Plymouth sedan. We also were able to purchase an acre of land a block from Uncle Willard’s home for back taxes which was $65. Daddy cleared the land, planted apple and maple trees, 3 kinds of berries, and built our home. The basement was dug by a team of horses and part by hand. Daddy only needed help with the wiring. During this time we temporarily moved to Garden Home. Dorothy and I had to finish our 4th quarter at a new school- the 7th for her and the 3rd for me. We rented a house a couple of blocks from the school, so usually went home for our lunches.. It was a big 2 story house with a storage area under the upper stairway. This was my playhouse and I was actually allowed to have a lit candle there! Can you imagine- the house would have gone up like a match stick. However, it didn’t as I was very careful. We lived next door to the Garden Home Methodist Church. It was there that I received my first Bible by reciting the books of the Bible. We had a big lot and Daddy planted a garden and let us kids sell some of the produce from a stand by the street in front of our house. We raised chickens and also had our cow there. When we wanted a chicken dinner, Daddy would catch one and chop off its head. Pansy was always waiting for the head. One time she was eating the head in back of our parked car. As Daddy was backing up he actually ran over Pansy. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t actually seen it, but she lived! The Lord’s intervention honoring a child’s prayer, P.T.L. We moved back to Metzger to our new house before it was completely finished. We didn’t even have doors, just blankets attached by nails across the openings. This was 1937 in the spring of my 4th grade at school. By now, Zeta had started to school so Dorothy, Zeta and I all finished our school year walking to and from Metzger to Garden Home. Daddy continued to work on the house as time allowed. He and Mother slept upstairs climbing a make-shift ladder up the wall from the basement stairwell until the actual stairs were built. The basement just had a dirt floor and the walls were building blocks, not cement. June graduated from High School in 1937 and moved to downtown Portland to a resident hotel. She had gotten a job at the Rainbow Restaurant where she worked evenings and nights ‘till it closed. We did have bus service at that time but very limited in the evenings. I think June was glad to not have to share a room and bed with one of her sisters. She would come out to visit us and lock us in the basement while she cleaned the house. She was a big help financially as Daddy was sick so much of the time and we had so little money. During part of that summer, I stayed with friends of the family in Garden Home and helped with their chickens. They raised chickens to sell at the Farmer’s Market downtown. It was my job to catch the chickens and help her hang them by their feet on the clothesline. She used a special knife that she stuck in their mouth to kill them, as the market required that the head be left attached. I couldn’t watch. I slept in a small building that used to be a barn and still had hay where I made my bed. I kept my cat, Pansy, with me and often woke up to find a dead mouse or rat sharing our bed. I think my folks wanted fewer kids around when there was so much to do. We still didn’t have a bathroom as such until later so it became my bedroom for a while. Uncle Willard gave us his old outhouse which was moved here. He also gave us a chicken house which they were no longer using. Daddy built a double garage, which half was used for a barn for our cow and a small section boarded off for a calf. Daddy gave the calf to me and I named her “Margie” after myself. By now I was 10 years old and responsible to stake the cow in vacant fields and water her in the creek. I learned to milk her also, but Daddy did it most of the time. We also raised a couple of pigs which we butchered for meat each year. Mother made sausage and cured the bacon. She also canned some and preserved the rest by frying, putting it in a crock and covering it with grease. We just uncovered on layer at a time for use. Again, we had a big garden that we all worked in. I was the only one that actually liked to work in the yard and I still do. Daddy also rerouted the creek that ran through our property locating it parallel to the road across from us and on the property line on our bottom land- The County put in a new culvert at that time. Daddy didn’t like the creek flooding our bottom land each winter. During the summer of 1937, Dorothy and I had our tonsils out. Hers were often infected and caused health problems. She was afraid to go to the hospital alone and stay overnight so the doctor said I could have mine out too even through mine weren’t that bad. The surgery was done at the Washington County Hospital in Hillsboro. Wouldn’t you know, she ended up in a room with other kids from Garden Home and I was in a room by myself. The ether made us very sick and it seemed like we’d get a whiff even weeks later. I never want to take ether again! We often walked to Multnomah to go to a movie. It cost 5 cents on Saturday ‘till we were 12 and then it was 10 cents. Multnomah was about 4 miles away and we only went in the day time. Just a note about my cat, Pansy, which happened when I was about 11 years old- this was during the summer and I was in Sunday School at the Metzger Methodist Church. Dorothy pulled me out of class and said Pansy was dying. Daddy had bathed all of our cats in sheep dip to rid them of fleas not thinking that they lick themselves to clean their fur. As they did, they were actually ingesting the poison. I prayed all the way as I ran home. Already our other cats had died but Pansy was still alive. I held her and continued to pray and God again answered my prayers! I remember one other time when I had left one of my dresser drawers’ open- I got home from school and found her with a new batch of kittens on top of my clothes. I started the 5th grade back at Metzger with Neeta Lawrence as my teacher. It was good to be back with my old friends. I played dodge ball, kick ball, soft ball, and jump rope as well as climbing on the bars where I would hang by my knees. I didn’t excel in sports except in the foot races. I loved to run and most of the time I could even beat the boys. I was a good student, especially in arithmetic (math). We had spelling bees too which was fun. I wish I could remember words better now! The summer of my 5th grade, I took a bus alone to La Grande, Oregon to visit my grandparents for a month. It was scary for me, but I arrived okay even though I had to transfer busses at Pendleton. It was a fun time where I made new friends and helped grandma with her chores- she even made her own lye soap. During June of 1938, 39 and 40, I picked berries at the Groner Farm at Scholls. We camped out in a tent and cooked our meals on a common stove in the cooking area. Mother would pick one side of the row with Zeta and Tiny going before her picking the best berries while I picked the other side. She still out-picked me! We got to keep all the money we earned which was one cent a box. A carrier held 8 boxes and had a handle which we carried along as we went up a row. I usually spent all my money on clothes and school supplies. We could buy dresses for 49 cents and 59 cents at the Time Stores. There was a common shower building which we all used and would also walk to the Tualatin River and play in the water. Mother picked with us for two years, but the third year I camped out with Mrs. Ream, as Mother had taken a job at the Alvords keeping house and taking care of their 100 year old grandmother. There were lots of young people picking berries and I had a crush on a guy from Hillsboro, Don Zook. We corresponded for a while but I never saw him again. Some of us put on a little talent show- I tap danced and sang. Afterwards we passed the hat and received a little money which we divided between all that participated. Of course, we spent it mostly on candy. Mr. Baldwin was my 7th and 8th grade teacher and also the principal of the school. He lived just a block from us and would occasionally hire Daddy to take the and his wife to Washington State to visit with friends. Part of us got to ride along which was a real treat. We had special assemblies at times at school which we all looked forward to. Mr. Baldwin always chose me to lead the singing except for the song, “God Bless America” which was led by Jackie Denman who had a higher range than me. I had always wanted a horse and would beg Daddy for one. During the summer of 1940 he traded a cow for a horse. I was elated! Or course, I was totally responsible for taking care of him. I named him “Pal.” As we didn’t have a fenced pasture, I had to stake him as I did the cow and water him at the creek. One time I didn’t cinch the saddle tight- anyway, while cantering up the little hill near the park, the saddle turned completely around and I fell off still holding the reins. Daddy happened to see me fall from our house as he was just leaving and rushed to check on me. I was not hurt- just disgusted. I had to sell the horse at the end of the summer but at least I knew that Daddy had kept his promise and I was thankful. Daddy became pretty ill in 1941 and was in the Veterans Hospital off and on. We would beg Mother to drive us to see him but she hadn’t driven for so many years that she was afraid. Our dear Aunt Bertha took us most of the time and was so helpful when Daddy passed away on June 15, 1942- I felt deserted! He was my strong Daddy that could do anything. He was my friend and I always felt that I was his favorite, as I was the one who liked to work beside him. I loved to wash his feet. I remember as I later worked in the yard, I’d always say, “I’m doing this for you, Daddy.” I’d take my cat, Pansy, and go hide in the woods where I could cry and not be observed by my sisters. Between Aunt Bertha, Art Thibadeau and the American Legion, they helped Mother get the legal work done and to start receiving a widow’s pension, as Daddy served in the army during World War I. Mother also received child support for each of us until we were 18 years old. Mother took a job at Montgomery Wards in the mail-order department while Daddy was in the hospital and worked there 8 years. Mother took a bus and streetcar to work each day and would stop by a downtown Fred Meyers store and buy groceries on the way home. I cooked dinner and planned the weekly menus. Zeta, Tiny and I all had certain chores. Zeta and Tiny did the washing, ironing, dishes, kept the wood box filled, cleaned the house, and cleaned the chicken coop. I chopped the wood for the cook stove, staked and milked the cow, fed the chickens and gathered the eggs. I don’t remember raising any pigs after Daddy died. The American legion took care of Daddy’s funeral service and arranged his burial at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in the designated area for veterans. I picked hops one year at Independence, Oregon. They had row cabins for us to stay in with a common bathroom. We had to wear gloves and tape the fingers to protect our hands while picking the hops. At night there was usually entertainment of some kind going on at one of the many hop camps in the area. There was always music, singing and sometimes a boxing match. We also went to the local theatre and at times walked to the neighboring town of Monmouth to see a show. I dated the owner’s stepson, so didn’t have to walk all the time. He even came to visit me once in Metzger. It was too far away to be a lasting relationship. One of my best friends was Josephine Wallave who lived a couple of blocks from us. She had a sister who lived at Ocean Lake (now renamed Lincoln City) where we would take the bus and visit her for a few days at a time. We loved to ride horses on the beach and would sometimes walk to Taft to see a movie. I remember one night when her sister went with us and drove. It was so foggy that both Josephine and I had to walk in front of her car to show her where the road was. One summer we were asked by the horse owners if we’d like to ride the horses to Salem after the season. This we did and camped out at a park on Saturday night and took a bus home from Salem on Sunday. We paid to do this, which some people told us that the owners should have paid us. Oh well, it was fun and an experience to remember. When I turned 15, I was able to get a job at the Coffey Memorial Hospital in the Diet Kitchen. I needed a work permit and a physical exam. I took the first bus available downtown and a streetcar from there to N.W. Portland. We served all 3 meals, so they had a room for us to rest in with bunk beds after we finished serving the noon meal and the dishes were done. We had a nice crew and I enjoyed the work. We received our meals and a small wage. I worked all summer there and also weekends during the school year. The next summer I worked at the Oregon Shipyards, as the pay was much better. I was called a warehouse worker and our crew basically filled orders for pipes and miscellaneous other things. The women weren’t allowed to lift over 25 pounds so often most of the heavier work was done by the men on our crew. I was lucky to get a ride with our neighbor, Mr. Green, who also worked there. Mr. Green had a fenced-in pasture and allowed me to keep our cow there and also share their barn. Mrs. Green even milked the cow for me when I was late getting home. They were a blessing to our family. Tiny used to baby site for them and helped with other household chores and often accompanied them to the beach to help with little Jimmy. When school started again for my senior year, I started back to work at the hospital on weekends. This time I was “Head Tray Girl” and inspected each tray to make sure the diet was correct and I also made the special diet trays. My other duty was to make all the salads- this I liked to do. There was one lady there who had a son in the Navy who she wanted me to write to, which I did. We exchanged pictures but I never did actually meet him. I wrote to several other servicemen mostly from Camp Adair near Corvallis who would come to Portland for the weekend. I met several servicemen at the Oaks Park while roller skating or while on rides. We went to a lot of shows, ballgames, rode horses and sometimes they just came home with me for a meal and board games. They would often miss the last bus to town and end up sleeping on our couch. We had fun parties at different homes in the area playing games and singing. I remember one game called “Parlor Football” which involved kissing, but I don’t remember how it was actually played. There was never any drinking- just snacks and punch. World War II was declared on December 7, 1941. Many things were rationed including gas and sugar. I had just started High School and the high school was minus quite a few of our young men as they had signed up for the service. I took the required subjects, sang in the choir and Girls Glee Club, took cooking, and 2 years of sewing. I liked school and was often an honor student. We had a period for study hall, so I seldom ever took any books home, as I could get my assignments completed in school. I was in our school senior play called “Days Without Daddy,” which was symbolic of our time as so many father were in the service. I played an old maid- Aunt Anna. After graduating from Tigard High School in 1945, I immediately applied for a job at Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company. I felt I needed a job with security and benefits after being so poor all of my life. At that time, they were hiring 100 operators each Monday due to World War II still going on. I was hired on June 4, 1945 as an operator on the “Inward Board” for $25 a week. We received incoming calls from other cities and forwarded them on to other Oregon designations or dialed the local Portland numbers requested. I worked day hours while training and then started working 2 PM ‘till 11PM to get a straight shift as most shifts were split- 8-12 and 4-8 or 9-1 and 5-9PM. Since we only had limited bus service, I would just get home and then have to turn around and come back, so chose the other. I had 15 minutes to walk to the bus depot as my bus left at 11:15PM. My friend Josephine also had the same shft so we didn’t have to walk alone. Before being hired, we had to take a geography, math and spelling test- 3 of my best subjects. Because I did so well on the math test, I was recommended for a day job in Payroll- 8:30 ‘till 5PM with weekends off. I started on June 1, 1946. I loved the job, my Supervisor, Nellie Goodsen and the many friends I made there. I still keep in contact with several including my dear friend, Gerrie Erickson. She later became my sewing instructor which was one of the many activities offered by the telephone company for their employees. I joined the TEAA choir, “The Bell Choristers” and enjoyed that. I was still working as an operator on VJ Day, (Victory over Japan). Several of us went out on the street during our lunch period. What a celebration! Everyone kissing and hugging everyone in sight! I took swimming lessons at the downtown YQCA with Jean Grant and Mary Waggoner from work and also ballroom dancing at a studio on Park Avenue. I met and dated several nice guys from there but no one seriously. I double-dated with Gerrie Erickson at times and was with her when she met her husband, Cliff, while we were at the ice skating rink. I dated Cliff’s friend, Eddie, for a while. He wanted to marry me, but he was Catholic and he wanted me to meet his priest. At that time I was involved at the Multnomah Church of Christ. We had started attending there since Dorothy had married into the Scott family on February 21, 1943. The Scotts were one of the founding families there. She didn’t want to attend there while Scotty was in the service, so she took Mother, Zeta, Tiny and me with her. I became involved with their Youth Group and sang in the choir. I was baptized in that church on Easter 1943- needless to say, I didn’t date Eddie very long. My days in the Payroll Department were fun times! We formed a little club called the Ruzika Training School (R.T.S.). Our supervisor, Nellie Goodsen, was a member and would drive us to our outings as no one else had a car. One of the outings was to Spirit Lake, Washington where we took a boat to the other side of the lake and had lunch. On the way back, she let Gerrie drive. She sacred us all as she approached a bridge too fast. We all thought we’d land in the river, but we didn’t. Nellie took over again after that. We also used to bowl, play golf, or go to dances and ball games. Many got married at that time. I also was unofficially engaged to a nice guy, Bob Walters. His family was from Fall Creek near Eugene and we would often drive down there for the day or weekend. He had several sisters and a horse they let me ride. Bob and I broke up- I don’t remember why! By Working for the telephone company we got a paid vacation starting out at one week for the first year of service and working up to 5 weeks. My first actual vacation was to Timberline Lodge at Mt Hood with my friend, Josephine. We took the bus up and took a few lessons, but I never did feel confident enough to take the ski lift. Later the telephone company would charter a bus to Government Camp for the day alternating on Saturday or Sunday during the season. I always stayed on the lower slopes which I could climb but had fun, and only went on Saturdays. In 1947, four of us from the telephone company- Gerrie, Jean Woods, Josephine and I took a vacation to the Wallowa Lake region. We stayed at the Wallowa Lake Lodge, rode horses on the trails, went swimming in the lake, and danced at the local dance hall. We all dressed up in our high heels- what a mistake! The guys came in their cowboy boots and the girls dressed casually. We had fun though. It was Gerie’s first time to ride on the trails and she really hadn’t ridden that much so her horse seemed to sense that, and would continually try to grab a bite to eat. Luckily, we had a wrangler with us that kept us going in the right direction. While there, a group from the Oregon State Highway Commission was photographing the area for tourist publications and wanted us to pose by the lake, which we did. They sent us each 8x10 photos and the pictures were featured in ads for Oregon vacations. Our enlarged picture was featured in a window of the Pacific Power Bldg. in downtown Portland for several years. Another memorable vacation, my friend, Florence Foltz, and I flew to San Francisco. It was my first time to fly. We had heard that everyone dressed up there so we started out with our hat, gloves and high heel shoes. It was a prop plane and you had to walk out on the field to board. Our hats blew off and we had to run them down in our high heel shoes. What a way to start out! We took several tours and rode their famous cable car. We also took another plane on to Las Vegas where my sister, June and husband, Al, met us and took us around to several of the shows. We only allotted $5 to play the slots and quit after that. I met my husband, Raymond William Flaman, (Johnny) at a ball game with the Portland Beavers during the summer of 1948. We talked but didn’t make a date. I had gone with a girlfriend and attended regularly. We went again the next week and at that time he took us home and we started dating. He had been married before and had a daughter, which he didn’t see very often if at all. We didn’t do much except go to a ball game or a show. He took a job at The Dalles to work a the East Hill Market, which his brothers Bob and Paul owned. We became engaged and were married at the parsonage in Multnomah on November 13, 1948. We had a reception at our home in Metzger before leaving on a short honeymoon at Seaside. I took a leave of absence from the telephone company and moved to The Dalles where we lived with his folks. They both spoke German when they didn’t want me to understand the conversation. I helped in the house and garden until I could again be employed at the telephone company. Looking back now, I think the only reason he married me was because I was a virgin and that was unique with him. He used to brag about how many girls he had been with just to hurt my feelings, I think. I actually heard the voice of the Lord speak to me and say I didn’t have to marry him, but I thought I did. I had promised and Johnny kept telling me I was the only good thing that ever happened to him. How dumb could I be! My transfer came through and I started working again as an operator at The Dalles on January 16, 1949. We handled both long distance and local calls so I had to be retrained. I soon found out I was expecting so only allowed to work 5 months. At that time we sat on “high chairs” to work on the switchboard. I worked ‘till May 15, 1949 and took another leave of absence. We didn’t have much of a social life. Johnny loved to fish, so I usually went along but never caught a fish. We also went ice skating as there were many small lakes around The Dalles that froze over in the winter. We did play card games at a friend’s home and went to an occasional movie or ball game. My sister, Tiny, stayed with us during that summer and worked at their grocery store. Johnny’s folks had left at that time to visit relatives in Canada where they had lived before. The morning my water broke, August 7, 1949, Johnny had gone fishing. Tiny tried to get the folk’s old car to start but it wouldn’t. The neighbor heard the problem and ended up driving us to the hospital. They rushed me right upstairs to prep me while Tiny signed me in. It turned out she signed me in as Marge instead of Marjorie so we had to get that corrected for the birth certificate. Our son, Michael Jon Flaman weighed 6lb 14 1/4oz and was 19 1/2'” long. They kept me in the hospital for 5 days. I was able to nurse him for 5 months. In September of 1949, Johnny was offered a job in Ontario, Oregon as a produce manager, so we left The Dalles before his folks returned from Canada and moved there to a basement apartment. When it started to get colder, rats started coming into our apartment. One even ran over my foot while I was sitting at the breakfast table! It was hard to make ends meet, so we decided that I should move back home awhile so I could again start to work. Ontario was not a Bell System town so I couldn’t transfer there. I was only in Ontario for a couple of months. After moving back home, there were no openings in Portland, so I stayed home and took care of Mike while Mother continued to work at Montgomery Wards. That year, we all went to La Grande for Christmas at my grandparent’s home. Johnny met us there for a few days and visited us at mothers occasionally. I started back to work in Portland on April 3, 1950 on the Intercept board on the 11th floor of the Oak St Bldg. It was during that time we had a major earthquake. All of a sudden, I felt dizzy, as our switchboards were swaying towards us. I grabbed the person next to me and she said it was an earthquake-very scary. I only worked there a few months until I happened to run into my old boss, Nellie Goodsen, from Payroll. I was back in Payroll the next Monday, August 1, 1950. It was on one of Johnny’s visit that I ran across an official envelope in his Jacket pocket that said, “City of Huntington.” Thinking it was a bill, I opened the envelope to find a love letter to him indicating he had again married without bothering to divorce me. I couldn’t believe it! I confronted him and he said, “Do you want me to leave?” and I said, “Yes!” I immediately took a bus to The Dalles to get advice from Paul and Lucile Flaman. He had stopped by there before coming to Portland and had told them he was on his way to see me. I didn’t know who else to turn to but them. They advised me to get rid of him as he had always been the “black sheep” of the family and they were disgusted with the way he had walked out on them at the store. He had a habit of telling me half truths, so I wasn’t aware that he lied until later. I contacted a lawyer and received my divorce which was uncontested. He was supposed to pay monthly child support, but never did. I have kept in contact with the families both in The Dalles and with his two sisters in the Portland area. While working in Payroll, we continued to do many fun things together. One year we dressed dolls for the Salvation Army to give at Christmas to needy children. I would make things on the sewing machine and Mother would crochet little bonnets, booties and jackets. Altogether, the telephone company dressed 216 dolls which were furnished. Our group was featured in our local TEAA newspaper. My sister, Tiny, graduated in 1950 and started work with the Telephone Company on 12/27/50. We rode to work together on the bus or with Scotty. Scotty and Dorothy were living next door at the time. They had built a house on half of our acre after Scotty was discharged from the Army. Tiny got a job as Typist in the Lincoln Building. Because of her typing (120 words per minute) and shorthand skills (Radio Shorthand Award from Oregon State College) she soon got promoted to Statistical Typist from Stenographer. We both joined our Company bowling league and were active in it for several years. I was Vice President for the League for 1954 and 1955. I continued to work in Payroll ‘till July 18, 1958 when I was recommended for an upgrade along with my friend, Betty Wright. They were starting a new department called Telephone Sales. We would call customers and try to sell them an upgrade in service. At that time we still had many 2 and 4 party lines. We also sold additional directory listings. These leads were furnished by the Information Operations. The Business Office Service Reps gave us the information on the party lines. Our supervisor, Al Bray, never pushed us but we were expected to keep busy and do our best to make friends for the Telephone company even if they didn’t buy anything. While working at that job, one of my friends who was married to an attorney talked me into having her husband represent me in trying to get back child support. He was successful and on July 21, 1958- I received a lump sum which I used to update Mother’s house and install an oil furnace. We just had an oil stove in the living room at that time. That was the only child support I ever received. When the Cherry Plant Service Center opened in Multnomah on October 4, 1959, I transferred there as a repair clerk. We took calls from customers with service problems and dispatched repairmen to their home when required. We also dispatched installers for service orders for the whole southwest area including Carlton and North Plains. I became the Plant Reports Clerk doing time, payroll and service reports for the office and filling in at other desks as needed. In 1959, Oregon was celebrating its 100th anniversary and many special events were planned at the Expo Center and throughout Oregon. They even had a wagon train that started out from St. Louis, Missouri, which tried to follow the old trail as close as possible. They ended up at Dundee, Oregon and we went to see them there. I took Red Cross training and volunteered at the Expo center, but was never actually involved in an emergency. In January of 1962, our installers and repair crews were “pushed” by the company to sell additional extensions on their service calls. We were in competition with other crews throughout Portland. Ed Fox was our top salesman and they asked me to be the “customer.” The photographer and crew came to our house and took pictures. Ed and I were featured in “The Pace Setter” paper- I still have a copy. On October 12, 1962, a tornado-like wind up to 120 MPH swept through Oregon. I was working at the Cherry Office at the time and we were warned to get home ASAP. I drove down Multnomah Blvd. with branches flying everywhere but I made it home safely. No damage was done to our home, but thousands of people were without electricity and phone service. We had a trash burner in the kitchen and could cook and heat a small area from that. Luckily, we were having unusually warm weather, so people could use their BBQ. We imported 535 installers-repairmen from other states. I kept their time and paid their meal vouchers for the ones working out of our Cherry garage. I worked 12 hour days for several weeks. We used a total of 1900 plant people for the cleanup. We also hired local workers to cut and remove trees and limbs that were over our lines. We all worked well together with no complaints- everyone too tired maybe. I became Bill Burch’s personal secretary and moved with him to the Cherry Garage off Multnomah Blvd. They had to build a bathroom for me as only men were working there at that time. Three other First Line Supervisors and their crews were located there that reported to Mr. Burch. I did work for all the supervisors and paid their meal vouchers from my cash allotment. I used Mr. Burch’s company car to drive downtown to reimburse my cash. I so enjoyed working for Mr. Burch. He was wonderful boss. I worked for him until he was transferred downtown to a different position. I transferred also to the Capitol Plant Service Center on March 16, 1970. I again worked on the repair and service desks until June 8, 1970. I worked on the repair and service desks until August 8, 1970 when I received a promotion as a line assigner with a P5 salary. I became involved with “Parents Without Partners” in 1963 and went regularly to their meetings. I joined the North Portland Branch as it met on a night that I was free. I became president of our branch in January 1964 and represented the PWP group at a “Kick-Off Banquet” at the Multnomah Hotel on January 22, 1964. I had to speak about our group to the city planners. After my speech, I discovered Ed McAyeal in the audience. I probably would have fainted if I’d known in advance. Ed McAyeal was one of our top executives of the Telephone Company. The PWP Club had many outings and meetings with special speakers. I dated a widower from there who had 3 girls, ages about 10 to 14 years. We did lots of things together with Mike. He was such a nice man and caring father. I actually considered marrying him until Mike told me if I married him, he was going to live with grandma- that did it! Needless to say, we didn’t get married. Mary Flaman, my mother-in-law, passed away on October 15, 1964- she was 79 years old. Grandma Kline passed away on March 24, 1966- she would have been 96 on April 5th. She was feisty to the end and able to communicate. She had a bowel blockage and never recovered from the surgery. We had a service for her and also in La Grande where she was laid to rest next to Grandpa. The whole family went there, even June who came up from Phoenix. We mostly stayed with Grandma’s friends and former neighbors who were very helpful and accommodating. I was given paid time off from work and the office sent a beautiful spray. On June 8, 1967, my friends, Phyllis Mason and I took my first cruise- it was to Alaska on the Inside Passage. Mike and Gary Neikes drove us to Vancouver, B.C. where we boarded our ship. It was a small ship compared to the luxury liners of today that I have sailed with. There was no planned entertainment but Phyllis and I sang with the cruise piano player and also at their church service on board. We stopped at several “ports of call” and enjoyed meeting and having fellowship with the local people. At one small town we visited a small Russian church. The priest was so glad to see us as he seemed so lonely. We talked with him about the Lord and prayed for him and his ministry there. Our cruise only went as far as Skagway before returning to Vancouver. It was a 10 day trip stopping at different ports on our return. Maryruth Rummel met us at Vancouver and we drove to Spokane to visit the Earls family before returning home. 1968 was a busy year! I was asked to design and sew new “habits” for a group of nuns- friends of Gloria Harman from Beaverton. It was at a time when they were finally allowed to shorten their “habits” and not be so formal. They were very nice and I enjoyed doing it. My friend, Gerry Erickson, was president of our TEAA (Telephone Employees Activity Association) and I was secretary/treasurer in 1968. One of our projects as a group was to buy gifts for the Edgwood Manor in Troutdale for the residents there at Christmas time. (It was formerly canned the Multnomah County Poor Farm). We collected money and purchased socks and small items which were wrapped and designated either for men or women. I went with her to deliver the gifts. It was so sad to walk in there and see the many sad and lonely faces lining the hall. Each wanted us to stop and talk or just acknowledge them. You could just imagine them thinking, “Did you come to see me?” We both felt so touched and sorry for them. Janine moved in with us on September 1970 while attending classes to be a Dental Hygienist at the Oregon Dental School. She move into Mike’s room upstairs, as he was now married and serving in the army in Germany. Mr. Forsyth let her keep her horse in their pasture next door. She was a joy to have with us and was always a willing helper. My only complaint was that she didn’t leave much of a trail for me to get to my room. Jacob Flaman, my father-in-law, passed away on March 30, 1970. He was 87 years old. He was born in Romania. I drove Mother, Nida and Ransome Reynolds to Arizona on April 18, 1970. They had friends near Phoenix that they visited while Mother and I visited with June and Family. I let Nida drive for a little while, but she was intimidated by the merging traffic on the California freeways, so I just kept driving. This was Mother’s first visit to Arizona. It was on this trip that I discovered a lump on my right breast. I had surgery to remove the benign lump on June 19, 1970- there wasn’t a problem, thanks goodness! Derek Eugene Flaman was born in Germany on March 21, 1971- see story in “Mike’s Story.” The highlight of 1972 was a trip to the Holy Lands. Mother and I went with a group of 16 from the Portland area. We had to get cholera shots before leaving. Mother had quite a reaction to the first one- the doctor didn’t want to give her the second one. We left on October 31, 1972 flying to Seattle for our continued SAS Airline via the polar route non-stop to Amerstdam. We stayed there overnight before continuing on to Rome, Italy. We had a City tour which included the catacombs, the Roman Coliseum and the Vatican- we continued on to Egypt. I had never seen so many people on the street at one time. On our city tour we were let out of our bus right at the building they wanted us to see which in this case was a perfume factory. We also were taken out in the desert to see the pyramids. We all got to ride a camel with a guide leading the camel. My guide kept asking me “Are you married, Lady?” At that time I heard that many Egyptians were trying to marry an American to get to the U.S. We even got to go inside one pyramid- we had to hang onto a rope and proceed into the pitch black interior. There were a few lamps but the rope was a necessity. They took us as far as the Queen’s room. It was quite a climb up huge rocks to get to the entrance. We flew from Egypt to Beirut, Lebanon, where we had lodging right on the seashore. Again, we had a city tour which included the gold market. I bought a beautiful gold filigree cross and 2 hains- 18 carat gold- you paid for it by weight! We also took a day tour to the beautiful mountain area where we had lunch. We weren’t allowed to fly directly into Israel from Lebanon so had to first fly to Cypress and change places. We were searched thoroughly both entering and leaving Israel. Our escort had been there before and had requested a Christian Arab guide, Joseph, who she had used before. He was great in showing us the places where Jesus had walked. He was under great stress from the Israel government. He had to apply monthly to see if he could continue to even live in his apartment. It was while in Jerusalem that there was a cholera outbreak and we would have to show our card proving we had received the vaccinations before leaving the country. Joseph was kind to us and actually took us to a doctor’s office and explained Mother’s situation. They gave her just enough of a shot to qualify for the necessary certificate to leave the country. Joseph wasn’t allowed to accompany us outside Jerusalem so the rest of our tour was with a Jewish guide. We toured Nazareth where a church had been built over the cave that they felt had been where Jesus was born. In fact, it seemed that every holy place had a church built over it. We saw the Dead Sea and actually could go in it. I waded- you couldn’t swim- only float. We also saw the Jordan River and a few of our group actually got re-baptized. The Sea of Galilee was beautiful! One night, we stayed in a kibbutz- very basic rooms and limited furniture and a hard bunk bed. It was a beautiful area where they could grow anything as they had access to water. Back in Jerusalem, we held a service in the Garden of Gethsemane and went to the temple area. We were actually body searched before boarding the plane for home- a tiring trip, but very memorable. Two marriages in 1972- Linda Whitney married Gary Ullom on June2, 1972 and Gary Scott married Lori Torland on June 9, 1972. On April 2, 1973, I transferred to the Circuit Layout Bureau at another P5 position. I learned how to design Central Office trunking circuits that connected circuits from office to office and city to city. I worked on the electronics switching equipment that was the new system replacing the old five cross bar and step-by-step equipment in the Central Offices. I stayed in that office until I retired on July 27, 1984. I had been promoted to a P1 position on June 27, 1977. This was a top wage that was the same as for PBX installers. It helped me get a better retirement since they base that on your top 5 years wages.nMy vacation this year was a driving one with Leland, Pauline and Charlotte. We drove to Golden B.C., Jasper, Hope and Vancouver B.C.- beautiful country and a nice trip with special friends. I had surgery on September 10, 1973 for an anal fissure. I was in the hospital for 5 days and off work ‘ill October 10th as I had no control over my bowels until completely healed. Zeta also had surgery this year for cancer on November 1, 1973. Janine and Al had their first child, Jona Lynea, on May 30, 1974. My second grandchild, Jennifer Lynn was born on June 1, 1974- both just beautiful. Mother and I went with Tiny and Les to Vancouver, B.C. for the World’s Fair on July 1, 1974. We stayed at a beautiful private home while there. Mother got to ride a chair elevator at one exhibit. We also toured Victoria, Hope and Seattle on the way and returned home via Highway 101 along the Washington Coast, stopping at the Olympic National Park. For Mother’s birthday in 1975, we flew to Denver, Colorado to visit Maggie, her Mother and Eddie. Mother and I took a bus tour to Pikes Peak on her actual birthday. I mentioned to the tour guide that it was her birthday so on our stop over, she bought a card and had all the passengers sign it and they sang Happy Birthday to her. They were concerned about her breathing at such a high altitude but she didn’t have any problems- she was 79. Neal and June arrived from Phoenix for a visit before continuing on to Alaska to be with Rita and Dave Cox when their baby was born. Brian Gene Cox was born on August 15, 1975- a big boy, 7lb 14oz. Zeta had another cancer operation on February 16, 1976. She is losing all her hair due to the chemo medication but still active. She’s wearing a wig now. On September 25, 1976, Pauline and I flew to Hawaii with a group on a tour of 4 islands. It was a beautiful trip where we made several friendships that I kept contact with for years. Each island was unique with special things to see. A couple of times on the outer islands, 4 of us rented a car to tour special attractions that weren’t included on the tour. We also were able to minister to several people who were having health problems. This was a special time for both of us. Zeta lost her battle with cancer and passed away on December 23, 1976. Quite a few of our family had gathered at our house for a Christmas buffet when we received the call from Bob. There was a huge funeral for her on December 28, 1976. Bob was left with 3 girls and 1 boy to raise. Yvonne was 18 at the time and assumed part of the burden to help with the younger ones- quite a challenge! Janine had her second child, Jeri Leanne, on May 26, 1977. On July 11, 1977, I took Mother and Rhonda on a trip to Wallowa Lake. We took a small plane flight over the Snake River Canyon. They both did fine, but I started to get air sick. The pilot told me to watch the horizon and not look down- it worked, thank goodness! We went on from there touring the remote areas of Southeastern Oregon and Northern California before starting back through Medford and Eugene. I should mention that we saw the Cartwright Ranch of television fame and actually went on a trail ride. Rhonda and I rode horses and Mother was taken in a wagon to our destination where a camp meal was served. Mike, Linda and kids moved in today, October 15, 1977, to the house built next door. It was good to have them and to be a help to each other. Mt St Helens erupted in May 1980- ash everywhere. It came down like rain and filled the gutters. On June 27, 1980, June, Linda and Gary arrived for a visit from Arizona. We celebrated June’s 60th birthday at Seaside at a restaurant/hotel right on the waterfront. June and I, along with several others went on a rafting trip on the Deschutes River with Mike and Linda. I didn’t wear a hat (dumb) and had what I think was sunstroke. Anyway, I was so dizzy that I couldn’t drive home. I even had to take the next day off from work. This was the last time we saw June, as she passed away on November 28, 1980. We were so glad she came up when she did. She had an aneurysm and was in a coma for about a month. Linda had her body cremated. Les was honored as “Pioneer of the Year” for 1982 and 1983. He deserved it! I went with Kevin, Jean and girls on an outing to the Enchanted Forest on June 15, 1984. They encouraged me to go on a big slide. I did but didn’t land on my feet causing a compressed fracture on my lower back. I had to wear a full body brace for a few moths- no fun! 1984 was a year for changes with the Bell System. It was broken up into 7 Baby Bells with a new name for us, “U.S. West.” They were offering early retirement which included 4 years of supplemental pay. I decided to accept and July 27, 1984 was my last day at work. My office group took me to lunch on July 25 at McCormicks and there were 24 guests in attendance. A reception was also held in the telephone company cafeteria. Mother, Mike, Linda, Derek, Jennifer, Janine, Tiny, Les, Kevin and Jean all attended. Mr. Burch, my former supervisor, even came down from Seattle. It was a memorable day for me with 120 attending my reception. We had a buffet at home in the evening. Paul and Lucile came from The Dalles. Our church also had a surprise reception for me on July 27, 1984. I took Mother to Milton-Freewater to visit her cousin, Cecile, on September, 1984, but we came home for her 88th birthday. After retiring, I had no problem keeping busy. I continued to do a lot of bridesmaid dresses and alterations and keeping up the yard work. I also took a Master Gardeners class from the Washington County Extension Services which required “pay back” time. Mother and I took several short trips with Tiny and Les. She had retired Feb. 14, 1984, also from the telephone company. They were always faithful to come up at least once a month to visit. We often rented a house at the beach where we could gather for a family reunion. After Aunt Evelyn passed away, mother and I would drive to Corvallis once a month to check on Uncle Doug. I wrote his checks to pay bills as his eye sight was failing. Doug was able to remain in his own home for several years with the help of “Meals on Wheels” and with neighbors checking up on him. After a hospital stay, it was necessary to put him in a foster care home. He didn’t want to move to Metzger to be with us. Fran, the nice next door neighbor, wanted to buy his home so we had an estate sale after removing the things that we wanted and sold her his home. Doug passed away on August 7, 1994. I was executor of his estate. I did a lot of traveling with friends by car to Canada, across the USA to South Dakota, California and Arizona. I also went on tours throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The New England states were probably my favorite, although I thoroughly enjoyed each one, traveling with special friends or relatives. My niece, Linda went with me on the Mexico trip. Even though we were mostly seniors- she fit right in and had a great time. Branson, Missouri with the wonderful entertainment and sights lured me back 7 times. It is one of the few places where you always feel welcome. The last time I went was with my 2 nieces, Janine and Rita. We flew to St. Louis, rented a car and saw many beautiful areas on the way to visit Linda and Gary whose now live in Alabama. We even walked on the Appalachian Trail and rented horses for a trail ride with a wrangler. I guess he didn’t think I could ride a horse as he kept me right behind him during the whole ride. I did fine except I was so stiff he had to pull me off the horse at the end. Rita took a picture and they both helped me to the car. I don’t think I’ll ever ride again. We continued onto Branson after spending a couple of days with Gary, Linda and the boys. Wonderful trip. I have traveled to Europe 5 times, Hawaii twice, Australia/New Zealand and the Australian Outback. I’ve also enjoyed several cruises- Alaska, the inside passage, as well as Alaska by ship to Anchorage and inland by plane and train to Fairbanks, stopping in Denali National Park overnight and taking a small plane ride around Mt McKinley. The other cruises I’ve taken are to the Panama Canal, Caribbean Islands, Mexican Riviera and the Mediterranean Sea from Italy to Turkey. I love to travel and each trip has been a wonderful experience. I have albums of each trip. After Gene Swanstrom passed away in 1984, I spent several Februarys with Myrtle in Yuma where she had a trailer parked. My sisters, Dorothy and Tiny with their husbands had been going to Cathedral City, California for 5 months, November-March. Myrtle and I would sometimes visit them on the way down or back and also Linda and Gary when they were still living in Phoenix. I flew down with Janine for Dorothy and Scotty’s 60th wedding anniversary in February, 2003. I have also enjoyed spending a month with Tiny at Cathedral City since Les passed away in 2005. There is always lots of fun things to do: playing Pinochle and Bridge once a week and attending the special programs and dinners at the park as well as visitng the beautiful areas nearby. One of the traditions we started while mother was still with us was to have a family get-together on Christmas Eve. We’ve had as many as 24 at one time. I always make beef stroganoff and we play games afterwards. I still do this for a few but mostly now we have a reunion at early Thanksgiving as Tiny and Les and Dot and Scotty went south for 5 months. Since August 2007, I have become a “Mom” to Mikey and Skyler who are living with me since Jennifer has moved back from Lebanon. Jennifer is going to school to get her nursing degree and working full time. She stays with friends most of the time. My nephew, Daryl, has been living with me too, since October, 2006, staying in the basement. Mickey started Tigard High School & Skyler started 5th grade at Metzger Elementary. This is the 4th generation of our family to attend these schools although different buildings and hundreds of more students than when I attended. There were less than 150 in our 4-room school at Metzger and less than 400 students at Tigard High in 1945. UPDATE FOR SEPTEMBER, 2008: Jennifer and Skyler have moved back to Lebanon but Mike wanted to continue at Tigard High where he could get special classes not available in Lebanon, so I’m still a “mom” as well as grandma and great grandmother. Mikey moved to Lebanon in November as Mike felt he wasn’t helping me and causing me too much stress with my health problems. I’m sad but it’s giving me extra time to go through records and get rid of clutter. On the way back from California on March 29, 2008, We were in a car wreck near Boron, California. I didn’t realize that Tiny hadn’t slept well and yelled at her as she was drifting off the road. Everything happened so quick after that. We landed upside down off the road and I was pinned inside. She rewrote about the wreck which is on a separate page. Since then, I spent the first 2 weeks not able to lay flat and get up so rested day and night in my recliner. About a month later, I was able to again drive to my chiropractor, Dr David Day for adjustments. In August, Dr Day noticed a distinct change in my x-ray for my right hip. After many tests and MRI, it was determined I had bone cancer. I went through 10 radiation treatments and started having an infusion once a month to build up my bones for the next 2 years. At this time, I’m using a cane to walk and I’m not in a lot of pain. I’m looking forward to my complete healing. God isn’t through with me yet!

III

Mike’s Memories

When I started back to work on 4/3/50, Mother quit her job at Montgomery Wards to raise Mike. She had worked there 8 years. Mike was such a good baby and completely content to play in his play pen for hours. We would even take it outside and our little terrier dog, “Sis” would stay with him under the play pen and act as a guard. He had the usual childhood diseases and had his tonsils out on 12/11/54. Mother would take him by bus to the Neighborhood House downtown for kindergarten, as none was available at the Metzger School. They also had a swimming pool there where he took lessons once a week. After my divorce in 1950, I dated quite a few guys thinking that I would get married again if I found someone who would be a father to Mike. Each one I dated I’d consider what kind of a father and husband he’d be, and each time there would be something about him I couldn’t live with. I so wanted to be married before Mike started to school so we’d have the same last name. I didn’t realize I was striving until the Lord again spoke to me and said, “I will be a husband to you and a father to your child.” After that, I never felt the need to be married even though I dated occasionally. Grandpa Kline passed away on 5/17/53. He was 83 years old. They had lived in the same house in La Grande for over 50 years. He was buried in the Island City Cemetery with a place next to him for Grandma when the time came. Grandma Kline sold her old home and moved to Portland with us until she passed away on 3/24/66. She would have been 96 on April 5th. Mike and I moved upstairs to give her a room without stairs to climb and I’ve been up there ever since. The Scotts drove all of us to church. I started teaching Sunday School Class at Multnomah Church of Christ in 1951 in the Primary Department and taught for over 55 years wherever I was attending. Mike was enrolled on the Cradle Roll and attended there with us throughout his school years. My sisters, Zeta and Tiny would join me and often we would sing as a trio during Sunday morning church services. While on Vacation at De Lake with the whole family, on 7/8/54 we were awakened in the middle of the night by a gas explosion in the duplex next to us. Dorothy and Scotty were sleeping in their Nash car which had seats that layed back and used as a bed; Grandma was on a cot in the living room, Mother and Tiny were in twin beds and I had Mike and Gary with me and Janine was there too. We felt like the whole ceiling was coming down on us and on Scotty’s car. Luckily, the Fire Station was just across the street from the motel. They got there quickly and we were evacuated to another building which was actually better accommodations then what we had and it was heated with electricity instead of gas. No one was hurt, but it sure scared us. Mike started to Metzger School in September of 1955 and made new friends. Most of his friends before that time were relatives or from Church. He started taking accordion lessons on 6/25/57. It seemed like the accordion was almost bigger than him. He didn’t excel, but it did give him appreciation for music and was also a discipline. He made several close friends who we often took on outings and trips with us. He enjoyed the Church Camps at Winema and Vacation Bible School. When the Scotts moved to Medford, Bob and Zeta picked us all up for Church. Zeta was finally expecting in June of 1958 and informed me that I’d have to get my own car for transportation. I bought a used black Plymouth and took driving instructions through the Police Department all within two weeks. I’ve been driving ever since and put on many miles on vacation trips. I got my driver’s license on 6/5/58 and Yvonne was born on 6/10/58. During Mike’s Grade School years I was Den mother of 10 boys for 3 years. I always planned outings for the group- Franz Bakery, Fire Station, hikes, Snow Bunny Lodge, picnics, and swimming. Other parents would go also as we needed more than one car and additional help with the kids. Lola Neikes was my assistant and her husband, Art, was especially great with the boys. At one Pack Meet the boys were to carve a race car4 and have a competitive race at the next monthly meet. Uncle Bob helped Mike carve it and at the “Derby” Mike actually won by going the farthest. He received a trophy which was presented by Len Sutton who was a local race car driver. We were very proud. They had other prizes too for the best looking, etc. His certainly wasn’t that as he had painted it himself. Other fathers, I’m sure, helped their sons as some were really beautiful. Having Len Sutton there was quite a thrill for the boys. When Mike was about 9 or 10 years old, June and Al and family visited from Arizona. I still don’t know what Al told him but he inspired him to get a job delivering newspapers. Note: (I just found out on July3, 2006 while visiting Mike in Montana that Al actually signed him up while they were visiting that summer.) He started with an after school route with the Oregon Journal and later it was combined with the Oregonian which was a morning delivery. I’d get him up at 4:30 to deliver papers on his bike and he would come home and go back to bed until time to get ready for school. I took him in the car for the heavy Sunday deliveries. He also had to collect the bills each month and was delighted when given a tip. Mike was also involved with the Little League baseball. I was score keeper for many years and Player Manager for one season. He did well and played several positions but mostly center field as he was one of the few who could throw clear to home plate from there. He continued on through the Babe Ruth League, and their team actually won the local play offs and went on to the State finals. Of course, I went to every game and usually kept score. His picture was in our local Tigard Times newspaper sliding into home plate. Mike graduated from Fowler Junior High School on 6/4/64 and from Tigard High School in 6/7/67. During his school years, I was a Program Chairman at both the Grade School and Tigard High School for P.T.A. One of the speakers I scheduled was Art Kirkham who had worked both on radio and television in our Portland area. At his program, he showed slides and talked about “Little Known Beauty Spots of Oregon.” He inspired me to really see these places , so during the summer when I took my vacation I would take Mike and one of his friends and go camping. I usually had a girl friend along too. One of the most memorable was in 1963, I took Lee Albaugh and Mike to Eastern Oregon and went on the Snake River. The guide was a “fill-in” and hadn’t checked the gas tank before leaving. We ran out of gas in the dangerous rapids. The guide said, “Grab a paddle and paddle for your lives boys.” I was no help! Neither was Lee, but Mike had been at a Boy Scout Camp where that was taught, thank goodness! All I could do was pray, which I certainly did. We managed to dodge the many rocks and get safely to shore. PTL! We also toured Hells Canyon, Owyhee Lake, the Painted Hills, Lake of the Woods, Oregon Caves, House of Mystery near Medford, and camped at the beach many times. I drove clear down to Brookings to the State Park there for the boys to surf on their round boards. We often took Kenny Livesay with us, as his Mother, June was one of my best friends. Kenny’s older sister would usually go along with us. She was a wonderful Christian and a joy to be with. WE would drive and cook the meals and the boys would set up the tent, get wood for our fires, and start it and also pack water for washing the dishes. It was a good time for all of us. Another memorable trip was when Mike and I flew to Disney Land when he was 11 years and fares were still half price for him. Our “package” deal included a transfer by helicopter from the airport to the Disneyland Hotel- very loud but fun. We went on about every ride there. The package also included a side trip to San Diego to their famous zoo. In later years, I’ve visited Disneyland and also Disney World in Florida on a trip in that area. Mike and I went on a couple of trips with Tiny and her husband, Winn. We drove to Yellowstone National Park in their camper. We saw all kinds of animals and beautiful scenery including Old Faithful. Another time, we went with them to Wallowa Lake area and camped out in the Wallowa Mountains. Bob and Zeta had been there the week before and had left some of their camping gear for us which we had to carry out when we left. There were 65 small mountain lakes in the area where Winn and Mike fished. We had gone in on horseback so we wouldn’t have to carry our heavy food and gear uphill. At this time Mike had hurt his leg and couldn’t bend one knee. The trails were very dry and dusty so Tiny suggested that he walk in back of us so we wouldn’t be in his dust. We had to ford several streams including one which we crossed on a log- quite a trip! Mike and I flew to Phoenix on his spring break on 3/12/67 It was a beautiful time there and he was able to fix several of the outside water pumps that June’s clients had problems with in the landscapes. This was the last vacation that we took together that I can remember. Mike started O.T.I. in Klamath Falls on 9/17/67. The first weekend there, he and another boy hitchhiked home and surprised us. He wanted me to make special food for them which I did, and then sent them back on a bus as I didn’t want to drive down there again. He only attended 2 terms, as he wasn’t studying and grades were failing- too much goof off time since he made friends there. He returned home after the second term and got a job and borrowed money to buy a car on 3/16/67. He dated several girls and wanted to control his own life, so actually moved while mother and I were gone. He left us a note and said he’d let us know where he was. He got an apartment with a friend in Progress and met and started dating Linda Swanstrom. They became engaged and married on 4/11/69. Mike was inducted in the army on 7/23/69 and took basic training at Fort Lewis Washington. After training, he was stationed at Ulm, Germany with the Occupation Force. Linda was able to join him there on 2/28/709. They lived on the Army Base in government housing. We didn’t hear from them very often but when Derek was born on 3/21/71 I took 5 weeks’ vacation from 4/9/71 till 5/14/71 and went over to help. I traveled with another Mother who I had met earlier at Fort Lewis. She had never flown before so was glad I was with her as we had to transfer planes at Frankfort. We finally arrived and were met at the local Ulm airport. I bought them a rocking chair as I felt all babies should be rocked. Derek was a beautiful baby and so easy to take care of. Linda didn’t have a washing machine so mostly I helped with the washing either at the base laundry or by borrowing one of their friend’s washing machines which was in the basement-either 3 or 4 stories down without an elevator. It was quite a work out. When Mike had a couple of days off, they took me to Austria where “The Sound of Music” was filmed and local sites along the river, and a famous old church in the center of Ulm. It was huge and had seats that the backs could swivel around to face different pulpits as the as the church served both Catholic and Protestant congregations. I also took 2 tours while there which were conducted by the American Express Company and were English speaking. The tours left from another Army Base nearby. The first trip was with the lady I had traveled to Germany with. We took a train to the departing city. My traveling partner had grown up in Michigan were the German language was spoken so she could communicate quite well with the people on the train. They were very nice to us and shared treats on the way. Our tour was by bus to Northern Germany, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. The accommodations were primitive compared to the U.S. but clean and nice. The bathroom was shared by everyone on the whole floor. I took another tour on my own as my friend’s daughter was expecting any day. The whole trip was to Switzerland and absolutely beautiful. The people spoke 5 languages so there was never a problem with communication. I roomed with another lady from the states and we got along well. I felt an oppression over the whole country of Germany and I often went to my room to cry and pray. Linda’s generation was resented for being there and when we would shop, the salespeople would completely ignore her and want to serve me. I’m sure it was a hard time for both Linda and Mike. Derek was a darling baby and I was so glad to see him and be a little help for Linda. One thing Linda wanted me to do was bake a pie. There were lots of bakeries and wonderful breads and cakes but no pies! I did manage to bake while there but had to borrow a pie pan. They took me to church on the base for Mother’s Day. It was a nice service by the Base Chaplin which honored the Mothers. Our flight was delayed out of Ulm causing us to miss our connecting flight at Frankfort. We had to stay overnight at the airport hotel. We finally made it home- very tired. Linda and Baby Derek came home from Germany on 12/12/71. Mike was discharged from the Army on 2/29/72. They moved to a new home in Aloha on 4/1/72. I took Derek to Sunday School at our little church in Aloha. Mike and Linda attended at times too. They had a “word from the Lord” given to them on 1/27/74. I don’t remember what it was but I was thrilled. My second grandchild, Jennifer Lynn, was born on 6/19/74- a beautiful baby. Derek and Jennifer were dedicated at my church on 1/19/75- a happy day for me. Mike and Linda moved from Aloha to Milwaukie for awhile but missed being near friends and relatives, especially Mother since she did a lot of babysitting for them. They wanted to build a home on our bottom land so Mother deeded a portion to them. In return, Mike made a bathroom upstairs, bought us a new water heater, and installed a fence around our property. It was quite a job to build there as the creek was so close. It required lots of fill dirt and pillars for the foundation that went several feet into the ground. The foundation was poured on 4/8/77 and house started 5/23/77. They actually moved in on 10/15/77. Mother baby sat for them as they both worked. I took the kids to Sunday School and on outings, as I was also working. The kids attended Metzger Grade School. This was the third generation to do so. It was a different building but on the same grounds. There were actually 4 generations as both Mikey and Skyler attended there for a year so far. I went with Mike and family to several Flaman family reunions. One was at The Dalles on 8/13/89 and another to Vancouver, Washington to his half-sister’s home in 1996 and cousin, Vince Huffstutter’s home on the Columbia River. Mike went with his Uncle Bob on a few outings and we’ve kept in touch with the Flaman families. I have many happy and sad memories of Mike and his family, but this is my story so will only include the things that touched my life. Mike retired from Portland Community College in September, 2008, after 27 years in the Manufacturing Engineers Dept. In addition, he also taught courses for Oregon Technical Institute for 17 years where he received an “Educator of the year” award in 1999. During his teaching career he received several awards: “Presidents Award” in 2001, 2003 and 2005; “Educator of the Year” in 2002 and 2004 and APICS Instructor of the year in 2003. His biggest honor was when he was selected to be one of only 101 recipients for the International Society of Manufacturing Engineers award of Merit nationwide, in the last 50 years. He was presented the award in an all expense paid trip to Philadelphia, PA in June of 2009. He also authored a book on “Advanced Manufacturing Processes” and wrote a technical article for the American Society of Engineering Education,” super-abrasive cutting technology. Needless to say, I’m very proud of him.

IV

My Christian Walk

As a child, I still remember mother reading to us from a small book that had Bible stories and pictures. She kept it in the writing desk and we weren’t allowed to “read” it on our own. It intrigued me and I always wanted her to read more. My sister and I attended Metzger Methodist church located next to the Metzger Grade School. We walked to church and only stayed for the Sunday school hour as neither daddy nor mother went with us. We had a special Children’s Christmas program that I always participated in singing and reciting Bible verses. We always looked forward to this as we were each given a Christmas stocking filled with hard candy and peanuts. A real treat! When we moved to Garden Home while our house was being built, we rented a house next door to the Methodist church and it was there I received my first Bible earned by reciting the books of the Bible- all 66 books. Moving back to Metzger, I again attended the Metzger Methodist Church joining the choir when I was older. I remember always asking jesus to come into my heart, but never sure I was actually “saved.” When Dorothy married into the Scott family we all, mother included, attended the Multnomah Church of Christ where the Scotts were one of the founding families. It was there that I was water baptized on Easter Sunday, 1943. We had a great youth group with Singspirations, and trips to Turner and to attend special events at their huge tabernacle and also to Wi-Ne-Ma for Bible Camps. When Scotty went into the Army, Dorothy was able to follow him to Maryland where he was stationed. Mother and we 3 kids would ride with the Bakers or Nelsons to Church. I always enjoyed singing in the choir and would often sing trios with Zeta and Tiny. Ellery Parish was our Pastor and very Evangelistic. He left the church to establish the N.W. Evangelistic Assn. Harry Baird was our next pastor and it was he who married Johnny and me in their parsonage. I moved to The Dalles after that. Sadly, I never attended church there. After moving back home in 1950, I again started attending church regularly. They made me feel welcome. I again sang in the choir and became involved in the church activities and was president of the Ladies Dorcas for a year. We had a change of ministers and Leland Earls became our pastor in 1951. At that time the Earls had 2 children, John and Karen. Karen was 2 months older than Mike. They became my “life line,” my devoted pastor and eternal friends. It was Leland who inspired me to study the Bible. Up until then I had been a church member but certainly not a student of the Bible. I became a Sunday School teacher in the Primary Department. I loved working with the children and still do. It makes me feel good when I received Christmas Cards and invitations to their weddings or special events. I’m so glad the Lord used me to plant Jesus in their lives. Sunday School was held before the church service so I never missed Leland’s sermons. We had week-long children’s camps at Winema and I would go and help mostly in the kitchen. In the early 1960’s, the Lord started pouring out His Holy Spirit and Leland received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and started teaching it at our Christian Church. This really became a stumbling block to many of the congregation as they felt the spiritual gifts were discontinued when the apostles died. Many left and started another church. For we that stayed, it brought in several new members who were seeking the gifts of the Spirit. Among them were the Errol Livesay family. June became one of my dearest friends and mentor as they had already received the baptism. Kenny and Mike were in the same class at Tigard High and played well together. Sherrie was a couple of years younger but kept right up with them. June had a gift in music and played both the piano and violin beautifully. We sang many choruses as the Lord gave the tune and words which June picked up and accompanied. Awesome! Many traveling anointed ministries came through our area and held camp meetings or meeting at believing churches. It was at such a camp meeting that I attended with the Livesays that I also received the gift of the Holy Spirit and was able to speak in tongues. This happened on Mike’s 15th birthday, 8/7/64. I have never prophesied or interpreted a message in tongues but use my prayer language especially when I don’t know how to pray for a situation. One of the ministries that came every summer was World Map (Missionary Assistance Program) which held a week-long camp in Newberg and also in Washington and Canada. Ralph Mahoney was the founder and arranged for the anointed speakers. Jack Hayford and Bob Mumford were two of my favorites and best known. After the Oregon camps were discontinued, several of us would travel to Warm Beach, Washington to the camp there. My cousin Eileen and husband Mal had a cabin about 2 miles from the camp so I’d sometimes stay with them or at a nearby motel where the cabin’s at camp were all full. Six of us drove to Canada to The Silver Star Mountain Retreat when it was held there in 1989 and to another camp north of Vancouver B.C. where four of us attended. The last camp I attended was at Turner, Oregon in 2001. Alice Browning went with me and I took Mikey as they also had a ministry for children. It was held at the Christian Camp grounds in their huge tabernacle. I still support World Map monthly although they no longer have camps their work now is mostly in printing and training ministers world wide. We also held prophetic conferences at our church. On one field on 8/4/66 the ministry team laid hands on me and said I would have the gift of singing. The Lord gave me a couple of songs from scriptures which I shared with “fear and trembling” as I recall. I helped lead the worship at our little church in Aloha, Word of Life, and also at our Hillsboro church, Bible Center Fellowship. Leland and Family left our church in Multnomah in 1967 and accepted a call to a church in Emmeth, Idaho. It broke my heart to have them leave but Leland felt it was what the Lord indicated at that time, Zeta and I took a trip then to visit them. They were so glad to see us. Leland and Zeta sang a duet for church that Sunday. Zeta had a beautiful alto voice that harmonized well with Leland’s outstanding baritones voice. Note: Zeta, Tiny and I often sang trios at church while in Multnomah. After the Earls left Multnomah, several of the church families started attending meetings off Hawthorne Blvd. where a friend of Leland was ministering. I again taught Sunday School and rarely ever missed a nightly meeting. Maryruth Rummel and I would go together to hear the visiting speakers. The Earls later moved to Spokane where I also visited several times taking other mutual friends. They moved back to the Aloha area on 10/2/70. We started a church in their home until acquiring a house and building off 185h that we converted into a church. The church was named Word of Life fellowship, the same as Leland’s publications. We held church there until we outgrew it acquiring a vacant church building in 1976 in Hillsboro. By this time we had people coming from quite a distance- even Vancouver, Washington. We started having a potluck after the morning service and another services in the afternoon. Our first meeting in the new church was July 4, 1976. If we were having a special evening service, we would meet in homes for a meal and fellowship. Gary and Becky Stewart and family would usually come to our house and return to church later. One of the times while still at our little church in Aloha. I took 5 children from our Sunday School class to the beach for the day. It had been raining on the way down and the kids were disappointed I told the,“It won’t be raining when we get there as we had prayed before leaving and asked God to go before us.” When we got to Valley Junction, the clouds lifted and we had a beautiful day at the beach. God does hear and answer prayer! It was a good object lesson for the kids- me too! We continued to meet in Hillsboro and started a church school for our families with children. In 1979, Kevin took over being pastor as Leland’s health was failing. NOTE: Leland passed away on 8/9/91. A memorial service was held on 8/12/91. I helped at the reception and gave a talk about his life. Around 200 attended. In July of 1983, our church merged with another small church group which had been meeting in Forest Grove without a building of their own. They also had a Christian School which also merged. Kevin stepped down as our pastor and became associate pastor to Jess Strickland. Our church name was changed to Bible Center Fellowship. One of the major things we did was present an Easter pageant each year using a live donkey. It was a great success which we continued even when we again merged with Aloha Baptist on 10/4/87. After retiring in 1984, I worked at the church doing payroll, paying bills and keeping the tithe records for our congregation. John Witherspoon taught me how to set up the accounts on the computer. I continued this volunteer position until we merged in 1987. They had a paid financial secretary. We changed our name again to Living Hope Fellowship, located off T.V. Highway on 182nd avenue. It was a time of adjustments as they had the same pastor, Leo Slagel, for many years and he wanted to retire. He had asked Jess to come preach for their church service in September and was approved by their congregation. Many did leave, but the majority stayed and adjusted to us. It’s hard now to remember who belonged to which church. We continued to do the Easter pageant for several more years. I played the blind beggar as well as being in the crowd scenes. We also often did a skit to introduce the sermon for the day. I played “The Forgotten Mother” at one of them and sang duets and trios on the other occasions. I continued to teach in the Primary department but longer led worship. NOTE: I actually continued to teach until 2003, approximately 55 years. The Lord has been my protector on many occasions. One I remember specifically is when I move Nida Reynolds to Phoenix, Arizona to visit her relatives in October of 1988. We traveled through Idaho, Utah and Arizona, seeing several National Parks on the way. On the north rim of the Grand Canyon, I saw a truck with a trailer load approaching us. The trailer was swaying and I knew it was going to lose it’s load. The hand of the Lord literally held back the load until we just got passed and it spilled immediately! There was a huge canyon on my side of the road with no guard rails. We stopped when at a safe place and just gave thanks to the Lord. PTL We had special meetings for our seniors once a month with Jan Sherril leading. She left the church later and Kevin and Jean became the pastors for our seniors. We called the group, “Saints Alive.” After attending for some time, I suggested we have an outing once a month for fellowship. I started this on May 5, 1989 and have continued to this day. The farthest we have gone was on a campout at Baker City in 1995. This was the 150th anniversary of the Oregon Trail. A huge museum was built to contain the history of that era. Several of the seniors drove their own rigs at that time and camped there. The rest of us stayed at a local motel. We met each day for special activities and meals. NOTE: While staying at the motel, I noticed that their roses were badly in need of pruning. I told the owner, if he would give me some clippers and gloves, I would be glad to prune them for him. He quickly took me up on it. He was so pleased that he invited the 4 of us staying at the motel to his private historical home which was not open to the public. The others were jealous. We’ve had many special outings and tours through the years in Oregon and Washington, including campouts at the beach and the Christian Renewal Center thru 2007, a BBQ at the Cobbs, a special Christmas luncheons with programs and our favorite- a soup and game time which we started doing more than once a year in 2008. In August of 1995, Kevin and Jean accepted a call to Shelton, Washington to pastor a church there. We had a reception for them on August 5th. Fifty-six people came. The testimonies were very special. NOTE: See separate page. Jimmy and Diane Glenn took over our Saints Alive group and continued until Jimmy’s health failed and Louetta Callahan took over and is doing a great job of scheduling speakers twice a month. In 2008, We changed to one meeting a month and an outing or event. I am continuing to put out a newsletter each month with a recap of our meetings, prayer requests and birthday/anniversaries. We also have a potluck the 4th Sunday after our church service. Birthday and Anniversaries are honored at that time. We are now known as the Forerunners. A precious group many of which are involved in our “Prayer Chain” ministry for the church. My Christian walk has been very precious to me. I feel honored to have sat under great teachers; Leland Earls, Ray Myreck from the church at Multnomah, Margaret Swanson, Betty Weber, Kevin earls and Dorothy Ritzman in our Bible Study class as well as many visiting anointed speakers. Henry and Judith Gruver were part of our congregation in both Aloha and Hillsboro. He has a unique walk with the Lord, literally, “walking by faith” throughout the world as the Lord leads. He walks a city and prays as he walks. Miracles keep happening. Judith also has an anointed ministry in song. They live by faith. The Lord supplies their needs financially. I continue to support them monthly. I’ve been blessed with personal prophesy at church, Aglow meetings and our ladies meetings, “The Lord will not despise a broken and contrite heart” from Psalms 51:17 was given to me at an Aglow meeting by Odesea on June 17, 1991. I was told earlier that I would be used to bless people and also have a ministry in compassion and peace. The Lord gave me a song from Psalms’ 119:11. I still remember the tune and words, “Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against thee. Hallelujah, for God’s word. It’s a treasure deep within my heart. Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against thee.” I have had several prayers for healing. The Lord actually lengthened my leg on 7/13/75 and on 2/14/93, Tony Aldred prayed for my back- it is healed! On February 20,1995, The Lord gave me Psalms 55:22 to comfort me when Jennifer left with Mickey without telling anyone. “Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be removed.” I have shared at our “Care Group” about the person who most influenced my life. I told about Leland Earls. At another meeting I spoke on Romans 12- the 3 phases of our ministry. I also gave my testimony at the Hillsboro Women’s Aglow meeting.

At 82, The Lord isn’t through with me yet! PTL. 2009