Obituaries for July 24

By Calvin Hall

The Gresham Outlook, Jul 24, 2010

Evelyn Agnes Fullen

Aug. 5, 1918-July 20, 2010

Gresham resident Evelyn Agnes Fullen, 91, died Tuesday, July 20.

A funeral service was held Friday, July 23, at Gresham Memorial Chapel.

Evelyn was born Aug. 5, 1918, one of nine children, to Clarence and Anne (Larkin) Purdy in Greeley, Neb. After graduating from high school, Evelyn went on to complete cosmetology school.

While working as a hairstylist, she met William Fullen. They were married July 5, 1938, in Nebraska. They moved to California and raised three children.

After Bill’s retirement, he and Evelyn settled in Portland to be closer to their daughter, Sherry.

Evelyn was preceded in death by her husband in 1975; by her son, William, in 2004; and by her grandchildren, Mike Price and Mike Write.

Survivors include her daughters, Sherry Backus of Gresham and Patricia Gehres of Las Vegas; six grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.

Gresham Memorial Chapel is handling arrangements.

Leah Koch Sauer

Sept. 16, 1918-July 20, 2010

Longtime East County resident Leah Koch Sauer died Tuesday, July 20, in Portland. She was 91.

Visitation hours will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, July 26, and 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 27, at Bateman Carroll Funeral Home, 520 W. Powell Blvd. A private graveside service will be Tuesday, July 27, at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland. A memorial service will follow at 2:30 p.m. at First Covenant Church in Portland.

Leah was born Sept. 16, 1918, in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada, to Fred and Anna (Biesel) Koch. At a young age, Leah moved with her family to Salem and later to McMinnville, where she graduated from McMinnville High School in 1936. After high school, she moved to the Portland area.

On Aug. 15, 1942, she married Albert Sauer. They lived in East County for more than 50 years.

Leah worked as a secretary for Bonneville Power for many years. She also worked as a bookkeeper for the family business, Bee Appliance, in Portland. Albert and Leah sold the business and retired in 1981.

Leah was a longtime member of First Covenant Church, where she taught Sunday school and was involved with the Compassion Social Justice board. She volunteered with the American Mothers association, the Seven Step Foundation and the Belmont Drop-In Center. She also mentored many people.

Leah had a great passion, inspired by her Christian beliefs, for helping people. She was a crusader for community and mental health and saw the best in people. She was known for being loving, caring, nonjudgmental and hospitable. She also enjoyed gardening and cooking, and anyone who came to visit her was expected to stay for dinner.

She was preceded in death by her husband in 1983; by her daughters, Charlene Sauer and Shelly Greene-Johnson; and by her sister, Martha Johnson.

Survivors include her son, Rod Sauer of Damascus; daughter, Roxanne Krause of Happy Valley; sisters, Erica Kaiser of Portland, Mary Koch of McMinnville, Lydia Zimmerman of Bakersfield, Calif., and Laura Thompson of Kalama, Wash.; brothers, Ezra Koch of McMinnville, Fred Koch Jr. of McMinnville and Paul Koch of Milwaukie; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Contributions can be made to the Leah Sauer Memorial Fund at First Covenant Church, 107 N.E. 45th Ave., Portland, 97213.

Bateman Carroll Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Leonard Kenneth Rasmussen

Sept. 19, 1922-July 16, 2010

Leonard Kenneth Rasmussen, a resident of Boring, died Friday, July 16, from heart failure. He was 87.

A graveside service with military honors will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, July 26, at Sunnyside Little Chapel of the Chimes, 11667 S.E. Stevens Road, Happy Valley.

Leonard was born Sept. 19, 1922, in Liberty Township, Iowa, to Alex and Lena Megonigle Rasmussen. He was raised in the Independence, Iowa, area.

Leonard enlisted in the Army Air Corps on Dec. 19, 1941, and served in India with the 96th Fighter Control Squadron as a high-speed radio operator in establishing airfields. He was discharged in November 1945 and attended Midland Radio and Television School in Kansas City, Mo.

In 1950, he married Marilyn Cross in Des Moines, Iowa. They moved to Oregon in 1968 and lived for 42 years in a house they built.

Leonard worked for Braniff International Airways in Illinois, Iowa and Oregon for more than 31 years.

Leonard was a member of Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church in Fairview. His passions included family, photography, gardening, bird watching, enjoying nature’s beauty, doing research on the computer and traveling. He and Marilyn visited many foreign countries and explored the western half of the United States.

He was preceded in death by his son, Gregory; daughter, Georgia; sister, Marjorie; and brother, Melvin.

Survivors include his wife; daughters, Rebecca Welch of Sandy, Karen Cervarich of Kirkland, Wash., and Joni Hocken of Independence; sons, Robert Rasmussen of Boring and James Melka of Winthrop, Iowa; sisters, Bernice Findley of Des Moines, Linda Kimball of Des Moines and Darlene Philpott of Mesa, Ariz.; and brother, LaVern Rasmussen of Carson City, Nev.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Frontier Missions, 3302 N.W. Marine Drive, Troutdale, 97060; or to the Nature Conservancy, Tribute No. 1142992, P.O. Box 6014, Albert Lea, Minn., 56007.

Gresham Memorial Chapel is handling arrangements.

Madge Victorine Jepson

June 30, 1918-July 9, 2010

Madge Victorine Jepson, a former resident of Boring, died Friday, July 9, in Firestone, Colo. She was 92.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 31, at Gresham Memorial Chapel, 257 S.E. Roberts Ave.

Madge was born June 30, 1918, in Boring to Arthur and Victorine Heacock. She grew up on the Heacock/Wilson farm, which ran along Regner Road between Bohna Park and Hoffmeister roads. She graduated from Gresham High School.

On Sept. 21, 1937, she married Leonard Julius Jepson in Damascus.

Madge was a homemaker. She loved to crochet, cook, garden, read, camp and travel by automobile. She also enjoyed spending time with her friends and would go to lunch with them at least three times a week. They were regular patrons of Izzy’s Pizza in Gresham and often received special treatment.

Madge lived in Oregon until December 2008, when she moved to Colorado to live with her daughter.

She was preceded in death by her husband on June 27, 1984; by her sons, Dannie Leon Jepson, Kenneth Jepson and Daryl Jepson; and by her sisters, Mary Hanna and Marjorie Kronenberg.

Survivors include her son, Donald Jepson of Colton; daughter, Maureen Jepson of Firestone; 16 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Arthritis National Research Foundation, 200 Oceangate, Suite 830, Long Beach, Calif., 90802; or to the Autism Society of Oregon, P.O. Box 396, Marylhurst, 97036-0396.

Gresham Memorial Chapel is handling arrangements.

Charlotte “Kitty” Irving

May 8, 1925-July 17, 2010

Gresham resident Charlotte “Kitty” Irving, 85, died Saturday, July 17, at her home.

A private celebration of her life will be held at a later date.

Kitty was born May 8, 1925, in Hamburg, N.D., to Melvin and Josephine (Ruglestad) Kittelson. Kitty grew up in North Dakota and graduated from high school in Maddock, N.D. She moved to Vallejo, Calif., and then to Seattle to live with her sister.

On Dec. 6, 1948, she married Ronald Irving in Seattle. After their marriage, they lived in the Green Lake neighborhood of Seattle.

During her career as a bookkeeper, Kitty worked at the phone company, for Isaacson Structural Steel and for Abbott Laboratories until 1969. The family moved to Northeast Portland and Kitty worked at Portland Service Station Supply for more than 20 years, retiring in the early 1990s. Kitty and Ron moved to Gresham in 1993.

After retiring, Kitty and Ron traveled the western United States. They spent the winters in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Kitty loved to line and swing dance, and she was a lifelong member of various Elks lodges.

Survivors include her husband; daughters, Cindy Farmer and Debbie Pierce, both of Fairview; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society for lung cancer research, 0330 S.W. Curry St., Portland, 97239.

Gresham Memorial Chapel is handling arrangements.

Merle Dean Stotts

April 1, 1921-July 21, 2010

Merle Dean Stotts, a resident of Boring, died Wednesday, July 21, at his home surrounded by family. He was 89.

A visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 25, at Sandy Funeral Home, 39551 Pleasant St., Sandy. A graveside service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 26, at Cliffside Cemetery in Sandy, followed by a memorial service at 2 p.m. at Sandy Baptist Church, 34435 S.E. Jarl Road, Boring.

Merle was born April 1, 1921, in Englevale, Kan., to Melvin and Minnie (Cusic) Stotts. Merle was raised in Pittsburg, Kan., until the family moved to California when Merle was a teenager.

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