Loretta K. Isom

Loretta attended Salem High School and Chemeketa Community College. In 1943 she married Charlie Isom they were married for 54 years.

Loretta joined the Salem -Keizer School District in 1932 when she went to work to help with the school census and she stayed for 63 years. She provided support to the Salem – Keizer School District Board of Directors and the Superintendant as Executive Assistant and Deputy Clerk for most of those 63 years. She worked with hundreds of board members and thousands of district staff through tremendous change, some of them seeming small yet revolutionary, from rotary phones, typewriters and mimeograph machines to cell phones, computers and email.

The phrase “Ask Loretta” echoed the halls when the stumped staff or School Board members needed institutional memory. In 1967 the Statesman Journal highlighted Loretta in a story titled, “When in Doubt… Ask Loretta Isom” At that time Loretta not only provided support to the Superintendant’s office, but also was responsible for scheduling substitute teachers daily. Loretta was awarded the Confederation of Oregon School Administrator’s President’s Award for Outstanding Service to Education in 1993.

Loretta and her husband CB considered themselves to be life-long learners and worked hard to provide opportunities for others to further their education through scholarship programs with Salem – Keizer School District and Chemeketa Community College.

Loretta was very active in her church, Christ the Good Shepherd, serving on a myriad of committees. She was not only an active participant, but also volunteered as recorder, using her fine-tuned shorthand skills. She was a master at shorthand, a skill now long gone.

In her spare time, she enjoyed gardening on her farm, reading; taking walks with her beloved dog, Birdie; following activities of the Salem City Council, School Board and Marion County Commissioners; discussing and weighing in on local events, and serving her church.

Loretta is survived by her niece Donna (Greg) Burgess, of Salem, nephew, Dick (Janet) Kahler, of Dallas, Ore., great nephews; Mark Burgess, of Salem and Scott Burgess of Portland, as well as great-great nephew, Tyler Burgess of Salem. She was preceded in death by her husband Charlie “CB” Isom in 1997.

Visitation will be held from 10 am until 6 pm on Wednesday, June 2 at Howell, Edwards, Doerksen with Rigdon – Ransom Funeral Directors. A memorial service will be at 11:30 am, Thursday June 3 at Christ, The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Private entombment will take place at Restlawn mausoleum.

Friends and family may sign the guest book and send condolences to www.hed-fh.com