Helen Irene Quinlan Carlson, 75, a former Baker City resident who had lived in the Portland area for more than 40 years, died June 5, 2002.
Her memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at Warner Pacific College, McGuire Auditorium.
Helen was born on Sept. 19, 1926, at Lindsay, Calif., the oldest child of Louis Harry and Vera Lorene Quinlan. She was raised in the middle of an orange grove and graduated from Richmond High School in 1944.
That same year, she moved to Portland to attend Pacific Bible College, which later became Warner Pacific College. There she met and married her husband of 45 years, Frederick M. Carlson. They were married on May 27, 1948, the day before Helen graduated.
They began their family and Helen went on to teach at Warner Pacific College. Because of job changes, the family moved to Powers in 1963, then to Baker City in 1965. They moved to Harper in 1975, to Jordan Valley in 1977, to Maupin in 1978 and in 1979 they returned to the Portland area and settled at Fairview.
They owned and operated “The Little Red Store” there for 17 years and Fred served as mayor. Fred retired in 1993 and died in August of that year.
Helen was diagnosed in 1995 with ovarian cancer. She sold the store that year and retired. She died after a nearly unprecedented seven-year battle with ovarian cancer.
She was a member of the Rockwood Church of God and the Warner Pacific College Torchbearers.
Survivors include her four daughters, Cherrie Conklin of Baker City, Sally Lorenson and Jody Lewis, both of Portland and Peggy Carlson of Athena; 10 grandchildren; and a sister, Maureen Maiden of Junction City.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Torchbearers Scholarship Fund at Warner Pacific College.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, June 18, 2002
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor