Ethel Marie Naas

Ethel Marie (Blosser) Naas was born in East Los Angeles, California on September 26, 1924, the second of three children. She attended several schools in Los Angeles, Upland, Macfarlane and Pasadena due to the death of her father when she was 8 years old.

Ethel's family attended Belvedere Church of the Brethren in early childhood, and then various churches including Lincoln Avenue Presbyterian Church, where Dr. Vernon Magee was the pastor. While there she committed her life to the Lord in 1941 and joined church membership. She graduated from high school in 1942, and since it was during World War Il, she worked at several airplane industries plus waitressing. While working at one of the first MacDonald's in LA she met Jim Naas in the spring of 1950, and they were married in August of the same year.

Jim and Ethel spent their first years of marriage building a house in Lake Grove, Oregon, next to land that would become the next connection of the I-5 freeway from Southern Oregon to Portland. They had three children in 1951, 1954, 1957: Janice, Bradley, & Charles. Around 1956 Ethel learned to drive a car, and thus began many adventures on roads not previously seen, and attending Tigard Friends Church. She loved meeting new people who had also come to Oregon after the war.

Ethel enjoyed trying new jobs: school bus driving, summer camp lifeguard, beauty school, selling door-to-door encyclopedias and then Vivian Woodward cosmetics; in her 50's she attended Portland Community College classes, as well as mentoring new immigrants learning English. The swimming pool was her exercise highlight. Three grandchildren joined the Naas family: Christopher (1980), Patrick (1983), & Kelly Anne (1984). Jim passed away in 1994. Ethel turned to some activity closer to home: being a Chaplain's aide at Meridian Park Hospital, finding fellowship at "Meals on Wheels" senior centers (Tualatin, Tigard, Sherwood), and an early morning Bible study once weekly.

Ethel's eyesight soon began to dim and her children took on additional responsibilities to enable her to continue living in her condo. In 2011 she had a fall requiring more daytime help, and moved to an assisted living facility. Two months later she had a pacemaker placed, she outlived that device to have a second one inserted in 2021. In 2015 she had a stroke, which necessitated long term care at West Hills Health & Rehabilitation. Ethel passed away on May 25, 2024.