Vianna Pihlaja's Obituary
Vianna Pihlaja, 87, passed away in Portland, Oregon in the loving arms of her husband Al. Vianna was born in Warren, Oregon on September 25, 1924 to Ola and Arthur Brasmer.
Her childhood was spent as a tomboy keeping up with her siblings Art, Paul "Waump" and June. She could beat the boys at any sport, but her teacher told her "girls don't play football!" It didn't stop Vianna from a loving, full and active life.
She graduated from St Helen's High School and worked as a bookkeeper at Crown Z which later became Boise Cascade. Vianna married Harold Harwood and had two sons, Hal and Ron. Harold passed from her life after the boys were grown.
Vianna met Al Pihlaja at Boise Cascade and her officemates warned her that Al "had a station wagon full of kids!" They were married in 1969.
Crafts, drawing and decorating always kept Vi's hands busy, but she still took time to enjoy the kid's activities and sports events. She excelled at needle crafts and left a legacy of hats, quilts, scrapbooks and decorations. She would decorate with attention to the smallest detail. No project was too daunting including the entire Moose Hall for the Office Party or Barbie Birthday cakes for her new daughters. Her hobbies grew to professional status when she opened The Gift Shop, supplying and teaching her love of crafts in St Helens. A few years later she opened The Style Shop and she enjoyed going to market, staging window displays and retailing women's, juniors and men's clothing. Despite being a busy shopkeeper, Vianna kept painting and drawing. Her art was displayed and won awards in numerous shows. The Old Man with a Violin painting was a favorite at the Trojan Art Show.
Vianna enjoyed trips with Al, going wine tasting, RVing, camping, traveling Europe, cruises and visiting family. Always active, she enjoyed sailing, square dancing, swimming, and bowling, which was her favorite sport. She played on several bowling teams and attended Nationals in New Orleans in 1966. Duplicate Bridge with friends, puzzles of all kinds and board games with grandchildren were also favorites.
She loved being at the beach, she worked hard with Al building their beach house in Surfside. She was a champion strawberry picker, razor clam digger, oyster shucker and chef. Her favorite food was fried oysters, which she taught Al how to make so he could always prepare them for her.
Vianna Pihlaja leaves her husband Al and six children: Hal, Ron, Terry, Laura, Graydon and Doug, as well as fifteen grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren.
A celebration of her life is planned for early spring.
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