Loretta Maree Kovenz

Loretta Maree (Haek) Kovenz was born in Lebanon, OR June 26, 1916 and died in Portland, OR June 14, 2011 of renal failure. She died peacefully at the age of 94 in hospice care at the home of her eldest daughter.

The first-born child of Jack A. and Greta A. Haek, her father was a bridge and building foreman for the SP&S Railroad and her mother a loving homemaker adored by her daughter. Loretta was soon joined by a brother, Jack Junior born November 13, 1918. Their family complete, Loretta and her brother embarked upon childhood adventures surrounded by an attentive, extended family and life filled with railroad cars, trestles and bridges along with many friends, many books and many pets. She often told the story of “hitching a ride” on a rail car on the way to school and of the tiny field mice she loved to gather that became some of her first pets. At age 9, her mother died leaving a bereaved family behind. Her father later re-married and she and her brother were raised by her father’s capable and loving second wife, Ruth M. (Thomas) Haek, a school teacher and Milton-Freewater, OR resident as well as the wonderful Grandmother we dearly loved.

After graduating from Lebanon High School, Loretta attended Linfield College. She earned a BA degree in English in 1939 and was a member of Kappa Alpha Phi sorority. Her adult years were spent in Portland where she was employed by Multnomah County as a Case Worker in the Children’s Department. While living at the Martha Washington Apartments for women, she was introduced to a handsome young hockey player, Matthew R. Kovenz and fell in love. She would wait at her window to catch a glimpse of him walking by; always immaculate in a freshly pressed, white shirt and shoes polished to a gleaming shine! Their marriage took place in Portland September 19, 1941 and her attention now turned to her home and family. Her newfound life was soon interrupted as Matt traded his Portland Buckaroos jersey for an Army uniform and headed for the South Pacific July 9, 1943 - one month following the birth of their first daughter, Jan. While waiting for her husband to return from war, she and her new daughter took up residence in the “outfit cars”, living and traveling throughout Oregon on a train while Loretta’s father built trestles and repaired railroad bridges along with fashioning a well-used swing that hung at the back of the caboose for a very thrilled young granddaughter.

With her husband safely back on US soil in 1945, life on SE Hawthorne Boulevard became a little crowded; a second daughter was born making a house and yard a spacious solution to life in an apartment. The deciding event occurred one night ... as the story goes, Lorraine was a baby-crib escape artist. Crawling down the hall on hands and knees one night, she came to the end of the hallway, only to be met face-to-face at the corner by her two hopeful parents, stealthily crawling on hands and knees from the opposite direction, checking to see if the escape artist was still in her crib! Their hopes were dashed at the corner!

And that’s how we all arrived on Cameron Road in the “spacious house in the country” - the place we all called home and the place we soon shared with Melissa whose welcomed presence brought the number of daughters to three. In our Mom’s later years, it was Melissa who found a way to coax her up and out of her rocking chair by gently holding her hands and engaging her with a song; singing, “Stand Up Stand Up for Jesus,” Melissa brought her to her feet and led her to the kitchen sink which doubled as the shampoo bowl. Protesting all the way, she was irritated that she must endure this ordeal because, “The water is just too wet and I’m getting all wet!” As Melissa carefully guided her tiny frame back to the rocking chair with the promise of a Coke, all was forgiven and life was good again.

Loretta was lovingly known by several names: to her college friends she was Hack, an endearing version of her maiden name, Haek. Her college roommate, Marge, just called her Room. To her grandchildren she was known as Grandma Lulu, which was their rendition of Loretta. To her daughters, she will always be known as Mom and in her later years she was “our little old lady ... our sweet little old lady.” She used to tell us it was hard work to be an “old lady.” She also told us she was “kind of sickly as a young child and no one expected her to live very long, but she sure fooled them.” That she did!

Her creative inspiration filled our house on Cameron Road. From ceramics to tole painting to oil painting and doll making, greeting card creations, holiday decorations and sewing projects - if it was possible to paint it, craft it, sew it and create it in any way, she would find that way. We had poodle skirts in high school, stretch and sew t-shirts and pants, homemade dresses and coats and everything in between.

Early in her childhood, she cultivated a love of books as well as a life-long love for animals. Her mother often had to shoo her out the door to play, admonishing her to leave her books for another time. We always had kittens and cats, birds, chickens, banty roosters, ducks and geese and an Easter bunny along with a dog or two while growing up with our Mom. Our house became a virtual injured animal hospital. Countless baby birds, mice and other needy creatures were regularly rescued, relegated to a box near the dining room table and gently coaxed back to life.

Loretta was an active member of Glencullen Baptist Church where she created theme banners to hang for every holiday and season. She shared the responsibility of filling the church with bouquets of flowers each Sunday morning and leading a Bible study for women during the week. She was a Bible Study Fellowship discussion leader and recipient of the Loaves & Fishes 1998 Volunteer of the Year Award; for this award she was featured in a story and interview by one of the local television stations. She loved to travel and kept active in The Philadelphians, a bus touring group organized by the North American Baptist churches in the greater Portland area. Long after her traveling days were over and whenever we would ask her where she’d like to go, her answer was always, “Alaska!” We were thinking more like Fred Meyer, Washington Square, maybe Dunkin' Donuts ...

She loved orange marmalade on English muffins; cookies, ice cream and Coke, deviled eggs and pickles, baked beans and hamburgers with extra onions. She loved dancing with Matt, picnics, Perry Como, Lawrence Welk, Sunday drives, and Canned Food Warehouse in King City. During her driving days, she was always excited to show us the great buys she found there ... sometimes items we had never heard of!

She is predeceased by her brother, Col. Jack J. Haek, Nov 28, 1994 and her beloved husband of 52 years, Matthew R. Kovenz, March 10, 1993.

She is survived by daughters, Jan (Dick) Lindsay, Lorraine (Jim) Bushek and Melissa (Terry) Schuler, grandchildren, Erik Jones and Matthew Kovenz, Chelsea Catto (Mike Christensen), Kraig (Courtney) Schuler and Joseph Schuler and great grandson, Caden Schuler.

Whenever we would ask if there was anything we could get for her, the answer was always the same; “Your Dad - I just want your Dad!” Her living, breathing life was here with us throughout the years, but when our Dad passed away, her heart was in Heaven; she missed him terribly.

So, now, there you are ... in the very presence of Jesus and reunited with your beloved husband, Matt - praising God with the angels forever and ever and ever!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

Private inurnment held at Willamette National Cemetery. Friends and family are invited to gather for a memorial service at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, July 30, 2011 at Grace Point Community Church, 11075 SW Gaarde St., Tigard OR 97224, 503 639-3913. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to Providence St Vincent Hospice or Southwest Center, Loaves & Fishes.

Arrangements by Young’s Funeral Home, 11831 SW Pacific Hwy, Tigard, OR 97223;

503 639-1206.