Joan passed away on Thursday, October 11, 2018 at St. Vincent Hospital with her family by her side. She was 82 years old. Joan was born to John and Violet (Wiltshire) Clark on March 12, 1936 in Portland, Oregon. She lived in the Portland area her whole life. She contracted polio in 1949 which kept her out of school for a year, leaving her with ambulatory weaknesses but this never changed her perspective on life. Joan graduated from Washington High School in 1955. She went to Willamette University following graduation and was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority. Through a college roommate, Joan met the love of her life, Larry Caldwell. He was in the army stationed in Hawaii at the time, and they corresponded regularly.
Joan and Larry married on September 12, 1959. They had three children, Kathie, Tami, and Scott. They built and moved to their house in Cedar Mill in 1963. After their children were in school Joan went back to work, first for McCall Oil Company, then Montgomery Wards, and finally Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. She retired from TVFR in 2006 after serving as the Administrative Assistant for the Board and two fire chiefs, Chief Jack Snook and Chief Jeff Johnson, for more than 25 years.
Joan and Larry were inseparable. Over their life together, they enjoyed boating with their family, going to the Coast, owning a lunch truck and a pawn shop, and then later traveling to Europe, Mexico, and Hawaii.
No matter what came her way, Joan met it head on and never let anything get her down. She was a strong, beautiful, and classy woman who never saw herself as physically limited and always focused on the positive.
Joan was preceded in death by her father John, mother Violet, husband Larry, and son Scott. She is survived by her two daughters Kathie Vosper of Albany and Tami Feller of Portland; her daughter-in-law Kim Caldwell of Hillsboro; 6 grandchildren: Jayson Edblom and Heather (Bret) Chevrier, Katie and David Feller, and Stephanie (Austin) Stafford and Samantha (Zachariah) Frazier ; and 4 great grandchildren: Isaac, Kyra and Bradley, and Zachariah. She is also survived by her dear cousins; Jerri and Willie Bullerwell of Mt. Shasta, California; Sharon Overbey of Portland, and Gordon and Gail Wiltshire of Lake Oswego.
A celebration of her life will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 20, 2018 at Skyline Memorial Gardens Chapel., 4101 NW Skyline Boulevard, Portland, OR, 97229. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations to your favorite charity may be made in her memory. Please visit Joan’s online memorial and guestbook at www.skylinememorialgardens.com.
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