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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2022)
12 Obituaries/In Other Words March 17 2022 In Memory of... Audeen Lorre Alsup Wagner b. December 16, 1928, Grass Valley, OR; d. March 4, 2022, Hillsboro, OR Parents: William McKinley Alsup and Sallie Dorothea Tiller Alsup Audeen was born in Grass Valley, Oregon the youngest of Mack and Dot’s five children. She grew up there and in the Lickskillet area until the family moved to Wamic around 1936. She went to grade school with her brothers and her sister in Wam- ic; when it came time for high school she moved to The Dalles and graduated from The Dalles High School in 1946. Audeen went to college at Eastern Oregon College in La Grande, graduating in 1948 with an associate degree in medi- cal transcription. The most sig- nificant event of her life in La Grande, however, was not her education, but meeting the love of her life one afternoon in town. She and her best friend were walking down the street, and a Jeep driven by her friend’s boy- friend pulled over to the curb. In the Jeep with the driver was a boy whose name has been lost in the mists of time, and a young fellow named Bob. Audeen remembered thinking, gosh, he’s cute – refer- ring to the other boy! But it was Bob who persisted. They were married on August 17, 1950. After Bob graduated from Oregon State University in June 1952, the three of them (Janne arrived in October 1951) moved to the Los Angeles area, where Christine, Craig and Will were born. This began a life of frequent moves as his career took him from the experimental aircraft division of North American Aviation to the Boeing Company’s aeronau- tical division in Seattle and the southeast. Audeen worked as a medical transcriptionist and ad- ministrative assistant throughout their many moves. Her last job was at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Eventually, Bob and Au- deen settled in North Bend, Wash- ington. In 1990 they both retired. After several years of traveling around the country and Canada, visiting 49 of 50 states and all but one or two of the provinces, they bought property near Vernonia, Oregon, and built a house along the river. For 25 years they were both deeply involved in their new community: pitching in to help the town recover from a disas- trous flood a few months after they moved in, helping to found a health clinic, working to pass a school bond measure to build a new school. Audeen became very active in the local chapter of P.E.O., a women’s service group that funded several scholarships over the years for local girls and women; she also volunteered at the Vernonia Library. In 2000 she reached what she often referred to as the pinnacle of her career: she became the National Senior Spelling Bee champion. Winning word: arenicolous. The couple moved to Forest Grove in 2019. Her grandchildren remem- ber camping trips, fishing and playing in her beloved Nehalem River, baseball games (she was a fiercely loyal fan of the Se- attle Mariners), a long-standing Scrabble feud, wickedly com- petitive dice tournaments, ad- ventures in the woods, Dixieland jazz festivals, the smell of apple- sauce cooking and bread baking, and constant, loving support. Her children remember last- minute Halloween costumes, her gift for turning difficulties into adventures, her pride in her chil- dren, her aggressive game skills, and her laughter. We will all hold tight to our memories, grateful that we have so many. Audeen was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Bill, Keith, and Jack, and her sis- ter LaVonne. She is survived by her husband of nearly 72 years, Robert L. Wagner; daughters Janne and Christine (Charles), sons Craig (Carolyn) and Will; grandchildren Leslie, Becky, Karen, Nick, Tory, and Alli; great-grandchildren Matthew, Andrew, Heather, Gwen, Hugo, Caleb, and Cameron; and many, many friends. A gathering to celebrate her life will be held in May. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in her name to, the Friends of the Vernonia Library, or the American Stroke Foundation. Bridge Street Bits By Karen Miller WOW, WHAT A GREAT SENIOR TURNOUT we had Friday, March 11 for our kitchen staff’s clam chowder, salad, garlic bread, and chocolate cake. If you are a member, you do get a menu each month along with all of our senior events and activities. Join our membership roster – only $20 a person and $30 a couple. Send a check to Vernonia Senior Center, 547 Weed Avenue, Vernonia, OR 97064 I AM ASKED TO SPECIFICALLY REMIND OUR LUNCH RECIPIENTS TO PLEASE CALL TWO DAYS AHEAD. This is the way it has to be right now as we are starting out trying to get our feet on the ground after having no center for so long. Meals are for 60 and over. If you want a Monday meal you must call our office by Fridays, If you want a Wednesday meal you need to call in by Monday, and Friday meal by Wednesday. Office hours, please call between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. THANK YOU for your cooperation and we do hope to see you here! LADIES, IF YOU JOIN US FOR LUNCH ON FRIDAY, APRIL 15 before Easter Sunday, join in on our Easter Hat Parade, gift to all participants, plus top prize for People’s Choice! Be sure to call in for lunch on Wednesday! WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR lunch servers AND home delivered meals drivers. Please stop by or call our office. COME JOIN OUR SENIOR EXERCISE ONE HOUR CLASS each Monday and Wednesday from 10:30 to 11:30 am lead by Kelly and Margaret, men and women both join in, lots of fun and laughs. FOOTCARE IS OFFERED HERE. Call Joyce Jossi 503-753-7745 Blood pressure checks every Board Meeting day the second Friday of the month. All are welcomed at our Board Meetings which begin at 10:00 am. CALL OUR OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR ASHLEY for any concerns and questions. Also for questions about the Scout Cabin Rental. Leave a message after hours 503-429-3327. SENIOR SIGN OFF: A masked man yelled at his frightened victim during the stick-up. “Gimme all your valuables!” The victim began stuffing all his friends into the bag. Let’s be thankful for and appreciate our “valuables” in life. See ya’ around town… Bargains on Bridge Street • 939 Bridge Street • (503) 429-3912 Vernonia Senior Center • 547 Weed Avenue • (503) 429-3327 A Trusted Name in Funeral Service Angel Memorials Headstones Fuiten, Rose & Hoyt Funeral Home & Crematory Columbarium and Urn Garden A beautiful location for cremains of your loved ones nestled among fir woodlands For fast cash! 2308 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove 503-357-2161 Vernonia Memorial Cemetery 741 Madison Ave., Vernonia 503-429-6611 Granite Markers & Monuments 971-344-3110 Don’t Sell it! Pawn it! Jeff & Kathryn Hoyt Locally owned in Vernonia Serving NW Oregon All Cemeteries Accepted Order drawing at no charge online Forest Grove Memorial Chapel 503-357-3126 www.angelmemorialsheadstones.com To sign the online guest book or to send a condolence to the family go to www.fuitenrosehoyt.com Family Owned & Operated Formerly Prickett’s Mortuary All-inclusive urn garden space and interment for $1,750. Columbarium niches start at $2,250. Baseline Pawn, Inc. 2245 Baseline St., Cornelius (Across from Fred Meyer) 503-530-8119 State Licensed PB-0388 Open everyday at 10 a.m. For more information visit www.vernonia-or.gov/cemetery or call 503-429-5291 City of Vernonia – 1001 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064
