Margaret Eleanore Hesla

On December 10th, ten days following her 97th birthday, Margaret Eleanore (Miles) Hesla, died at home in Portland. Margaret was born November 30, 1917 in Boulder, Colorado to George and Eleanore “Nellie” (Wagner) Miles at the home of her grandparents, William and Margaret Miles. Six months following her birth, the family including her older brother George (Billy) Miles, moved to Portland. They settled in north Portland at the end of Willamette Boulevard in St. Johns. Her brother Robert Miles was born in 1919. She and her brothers attended James John Elementary and Roosevelt High School. In the midst of the Depression, Margaret moved with her family to Edison Street in St. Johns where Margaret’s parents continued to live into the 1980s. She was active as a young woman in the St. Johns YWCA and continued her membership into her middle years as a member of Proto. In 1941, Margaret attended a dance in Seaside, Oregon where she met Charles “Jack” Hesla. They were married on June 26, 1942 at St Michael’s & All Angels Episcopal Church in Portland. They settled in the Irvington and Fernhill Park areas of Portland where they raised their five children. Prior to her marriage and during the school years of the children, she was employed in the grocery industry. She was a member of the Retail Clerks Union. Margaret and Jack loved to travel and especially loved their trips to the islands of Hawaii over the years. Following Jack’s death in 1975, Margaret traveled to Hawaii and Mexico on her own and loved travelling with family and friends. At the age of 90, she applied for her first passport and traveled with two daughters and a niece to Wales to see the birthplace and country of her Miles grandfather. Margaret was a long time member of Augustana Lutheran Church. Her interest in St. Johns continued all of her life and she was a member of the St. Johns Heritage Society. She also belonged to the BPOE. Margaret is survived by her five children: Marshall “Corky” (Joyce) Hesla; Marilyn “Lynn” (Adrien) Taylor; Jill (Leonard) Hauke; Bob (Julie) Hesla; and Robin (Joe) Bowman as well as 15 grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; several nieces and a nephew; and her sister-in-law, Frances Hillesland. She is also survived by two life-long friends: her first cousin, Betty Soucie and her classmate, Cavell Tucker. Margaret’s family would like to thank the wonderful and loving staff in the Terrace and Health Center at Willamette View for their care over the last two years. Margaret’s life will be celebrated at a service held at Augustana Lutheran Church at N.E. 15th and Knott, on Thursday, December 18th at 11 am. Burial will follow at Willamette National Cemetery on Friday, December 19th at 9 am. Memorial gifts may be made to the Augustana Lutheran Church Memorial Fund (2710 NE 14th Ave, Portland, OR 97212) in Margaret’s name.