Geneva Doris "Val" Gauen's Obituary
Geneva Doris “Val” Gauen
September 28, 1922 ~ October 11, 2016
Geneva Doris “Val” Gauen of Portland, Oregon died October 11, 2016 at age 94. She was born in Rose Hill, Ramsey County, Minnesota on September 28, 1922 to Fred and Johanna (Carvatt) Vaillancourt, their only surviving child. She grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduating in 1940 from South Division High School. She attended Wisconsin State Teachers’ College-Milwaukee (now University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) where in 1944 she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Music. On October 6, 1956, she married Robert Joseph “Bob” Gauen in Seattle, Washington. They were married until his death on October 9, 2009.
Bob and Val moved to St. Helens, Oregon in 1957 where they raised two daughters. Val taught elementary school in the 1940s and 1950s in Waukegan and Kenosha, Wisconsin and Seattle, Washington; and she taught 6th grade at Condon Elementary School in St. Helens for 17 years until her retirement in 1987. She was a member of Plymouth Presbyterian Church in St. Helens. While her daughters were young, she was active in Girl Scouts leadership. After her retirement, she served five years as president of the board of Spring Meadow as the non-profit planned, funded and constructed the Spring Meadow Assisted Living facility in St. Helens. After Bob’s death, Val moved to Holladay Park Plaza in Portland to be near her daughters and their families.
Music was the center of Val’s creative life. She was a gifted musician and vocalist. She enjoyed singing in a variety of musical venues throughout her life. From singing in USO shows during World War II to raising her voice in church and community choirs, performing solo, singing in small ensembles, leading folksongs while she played the button accordion or autoharp in her retirement community and singing torch songs at her 90th birthday party, she reveled in it all.
Val enjoyed listening to classical music, attending the opera, reading non-fiction, sharing time and great meals with family, owning Miniature Schnauzers, traveling with Bob and their friends, developing her creative writing skills and researching her family history.
She is survived by her daughters Kathryn Ring (Ron) and Suzanne Gauen (Brian Batchelder) both of Portland, Oregon and grandchildren Alexandra Ring and Liam Batchelder.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, November 11, 2016 at 3:00 pm at Holladay Park Plaza in the Penthouse at 1300 NE 16th Ave, Portland, Oregon 97232.
Memorial gifts can be made to the Oregon Food Bank or the League of Women Voters.
You can express your thoughts and memories in the online Guest Book at www.columbiafh.com.
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