I miss my aunt more than anything. She helped raise me as a child while my mom was working to pay the bills for me. Here is the obituary that her daughter wrote for her. It makes me cry when I read this, knowing how much I miss her and how much I learned from her growing up and even as an adult. I am so glad that she got to meet Nathan and get to know him before she passed. I am just sorry she wont be there for my wedding.
Vlora was born on December 9, 1924 in Galvin, Washington. She was preceded in death by her parents, her loving husband of 60 years, Fred, and her brothers Harvey and David and Edwin "Bud" and sisters Margaret and Amy Lou. Vlora has one daughter, Christine, who lives with her husband Steve in Juneau, Alaska. Chris and Steve have two children - Heather and Trevor. Heather lives and works in Juneau. Trevor (wife Kayla) is in the U.S. Army and is currently deployed in Iraq. Vlora is also the great grandma to Aidan and Nolan.
During Vlora's early years, the family home was in Gateway, Oregon where her father worked on the railroad. Vlora completed the eighth grade of school, but because of the death of her father, the family wasn't able to support her going to high school. Instead, Vlora began working at various jobs, including housekeeping and cooking at various homes and ranches in the area. It was in Eastern Oregon, while working on a ranch, where Vlora met her husband to be - Fred. Fred joined the Navy in WWII and was shipped out to San Francisco. Vlora followed him there and they were married on August 23, 1944. During the war Vlora served in the Portland shipyards, helping the war effort by being a "Rosie the Riveter," helping building a liberty ship.
After the war, Fred and Vlora returned to Oregon to settle down and raise a family. Fred went to work for the telephone company as an installer/repairman. Vlora worked at various jobs including waitress and short order cook, counter girl at the five and dime and as a telephone operator. They lived in various places in Oregon, including Florence and Medford. In 1955 their daughter Christine was born. Fred and Vlora desired a large family, but weren't able to have any other biological children. This didn't stop them, though, from having a large, loving family.
In 1961, Fred and Vlora were commissioned by the State of Oregon as foster parents and they opened their homes and their hearts to many children over the years. Two families of children lived with Fred and Vlora for many years and became an important part of their family: Steven and Kenneth, and Tim, Ellen and Beth. There remain special children of choice who still know Vlora as Mom and whose children and grandchildren now call her Grandma.
In addition to foster children there were others who found a special place in Fred and Vlora's lives, including Erica Webster, who is mourning the loss of her Nana today. Vlora did work outside the home for short periods of time, but her focus and what she would most want to be remembered for was being a loving wife, mother and grandmother.
Vlora truly had the gift of hospitality. She never met a stranger. If someone showed up at the door she would put another chair at the table and another bean in the pot. Her home was always the center of family holiday dinners and it's where all of the kids wanted to hang out after school.
Vlora was a woman of strong faith. Her relationship with the Lord was steadfast and gave her strength and peace, even during her final hours. She belonged to the Southern Baptist denomination, with her final church home being Trinity Baptist in Springfield. Until the last years, when her health kept her from it, Vlora was always active in church activities. She sang in the choir, loved the babies in the nursery, went on trips with the teens - whatever needed to be done, she was there. Her commitment and consistency were a shining example to her family and everyone around her.
Vlora was active in a number of activities and organizations over the years. During the kids' school years she was very active in the PTA. She championed a crosswalk, and took her turn standing in that crosswalk, helped organize holiday events, baked cupcakes - whatever was needed. Another organization that was very special to her and that she remained active in until her last days is the Bethel Community Club. She became a member when her children were in elementary school. Now those young moms are grandmas and great grandmas. They weathered the storms of life together and shared its joys. They also participated in many service projects, including two that Vlora was particularly interested and involved in - supporting teen mothers in the high school and making picture books for nursing homes.
Vlora will be missed. For her nieces and nephews, her death marks the passing of a generation. At Spring Valley Assisted Living, where she lived for the last 3 years, her door was always open to share a word with a friend and let them enjoy her flowers. Her lively banter at the dinner table will be missed as well as her skill with jigsaw puzzles. Although we mourn her physical passing, we rejoice that she's safely and peacefully home, reunited with her loving husband and others who went before her. Each of us who knew and loved Vlora has our own special memories of her and how she touched our lives and she would want us to continue her legacy of faith and family and love.
