Verlene Francis Tate was born to Otis and Eunice Tate in Dayton, Washington on March 4, 1916 and passed at home on July 4, 2018 in Canby, Oregon. Although she spent much of her youth on the farm near Starbuck, Washington, her graduation from high school was from Washington High in Portland in 1933.
In her Sophomore and Junior years, while attending school in Starbuck, she starred as the sole person on the one person basketball rally squad. At games, she would use a chant that would leave the school faculty of today with an outcry for their jobs with—“Starbuck, Starbuck, poke them in the eye! Starbuck, Starbuck, poke them in the other eye!” This was no doubt a parody from The Three Stooges comedy act at the time, so social correctness was not a problem.
While in Portland, she was fortunate to meet her future husband, Albert Hutton Erickson, and five years after high school at Washington, they married. In 1938, after completing their first home in Multnomah, they took residency and in 1942 and 1945 had their children, Becky and Bruce. Verlene wanted to return to the country life, so in 1948, after completing their second home, they moved to acreage on the South side of little Bull Mountain, outside of Tigard. They raised sheep and later Christmas trees on what became “The Wood for Good” tree farm. Al and Verlene became active in the Tigard Christian Church at that time. Verlene’s correspondence with loved ones and people she met frequently ended with the phrase, “God Bless-Bless God.”
Al and Verlene retired and moved to Canby in 1996, after 50 some years at Tigard.
Verlene was preceded in death by her parents; grandsons Forrest and Brent; and her husband Al. She is survived by her daughter Becky of Canby, son Bruce of Newberg, 6 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, 11 great great grandchildren.
A memorial service is scheduled for August 4th at 11:00am at Tigard Christian Church, 13045 SW Hall Blvd. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in Verlene’s honor to Tigard Christian Church.
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