Oregon and "Owen-ness"

I debated where to put this post as it has both to do with me and also Gibersons in general.  So I decided to start here to share a bit about my (and our) recent trip to Oregon to attend the funeral of our Aunt Lois.

 For the younger generation, Aunt Lois was Grandma Giberson's older and only sister.  They were the two daughters of my grandparents Ves (Robert) and Olevia Owen.  There were also two brothers, Gene Franklin who died soon after his birth and Uncle Bob (the oldest in the family).  It was first Grandpa Owen and Uncle Bob who listened to the Mormon missionaries before Grandma Giberson was even born.  Grandma Owen said that she was too stubborn at first and worried about what the neighbors thought, so she wouldn't allow them in the house or sit on the porch as they taught Grandpa and Uncle Bob.  Over time, she began listening through the door and then sat on the porch with them and was converted to the gospel and joined the Church.




Uncle Bob and Aunt Ruth, Dad and Mom and Grandpa and Grandma Owen
I believe this was the day that Mom and Dad were married.
Mom was sealed to Grandma and Grandpa at this time as well.


Grandma Giberson was born in Oregon and was raised in west central Oregon until she was a teenager and they moved to Portland, Oregon, for Grandpa and Uncle Bob to work in the ship yards.  Both Uncle Bob and Aunt Lois married and raised their families in the Portland area.  As children, we visited once a year and we loved Portland, the Oregon coast, the trees, the zoo, and most of all our cousins.  It was party time when we all got together.  Between the two families were 14 cousins, plus the eight of us.




From left to right (Adults):  Mom (Eileen), Grandma Owen and Aunt Lois
(kids):  Marilois, Uncle Todd, Me (Aunt Judy), Renee, Lura, Beckie, and Margaret on the ground


Over the years, we have not had a lot of actual contact with our cousins although we have had contact from time to time as they traveled to Utah or other places near one of us.  For many years, I had yearly visits from Aunt Zina (Uncle Bob's second wife; Aunt Ruth died in the mid-1970's) as she came to visit her mother in Salt Lake.  Valerie and I made a trip to Oregon over 11 years ago which was an awesome trip. I wished that we could have done it every year since then.  Despite that lack of actual contact, I loved my cousins and my aunts and uncle and felt a tie to them.  My aunt was the person on the earth who was like Mom (Grandma Giberson) and she had many memories of times when we were young and together and about Grandpa and Grandma Owen.   I was always grateful to get her yearly Christmas letter and to hear about my cousins as they grew, became adults, had families....all the things we were doing as well.  I loved her and even though she was not really a part of my daily life, it leaves a small hole in my life that the final person of that generation of my mom's family is gone. 

It was a good experience to return to Oregon with Rick and Valerie.  We wish all of our family could have attended.  You would have loved to see the cousins and to be with them at this special time.  Life is truly about families and funerals are one time that is really brought home.

Valerie and Rick ended up on the same flight from Dallas to Portland (weird I know but it was Valerie's best option to fly from Phoenix to Dallas and then to Portland.  Oddly, my cheapest option was to fly from Salt Lake to Phoenix and then to Portland.  However since Valerie won't have been flying with me anyway, I opted for paying $40 more for a direct flight.)  I arrived about 1 1/2 hours after they did so Rick went and got the rental car while they waited.  Then we headed to the hotel located in Tigard just 7  minutes or so from the Portland Temple.

Wednesday morning, we headed to the Church for the viewing and lots of hugging and greeting of our 10 Gibson and 3 Owen cousins and Uncle Grant (Gibson) and Aunt Zina (Owen).  They brought with them almost all of the 33 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.  That makes for a lot of Owens in one place.  It was a very sweet funeral.....actually very similar to Mom's including the hymn "I Believe in Christ".  Evan and Dan both spoke and did a great job along with their Bishop and Stake President.  Many of our cousins and their children carried some of that Owen musical talent which was noticeable when we sang the hymns during the funeral.

The luncheon was held after the funeral as the cemetery did not allow people to come to the grave site until after 4:00 in the afternoon.  It was such a great thing to go from table to table and talk to our cousins and to express our feelings about them and Aunt Lois.

Margaret, Becky, Renee, Lura, Dan, Uncle Grant, Even, Leith, April, and Michelle
not shown:  Marilois (she didn't come to the cemetery because of her poor health)

Uncle Grant and Aunt Lois's family

Aunt Lois was buried at the National Cemetery in Portland as Uncle Grant is a veteran of World War II.  Grandpa and Grandma Owen are also buried there but not in the same section.

We then returned to the Gibson's home and spent time with everyone in the same house which still just has one bathroom (how did they do it with 8 girls and 2 boys all of those years?)

Thursday the three of us attended a session at the Portland Temple in the morning and then headed off to the airport for us to take our separate flights home.

And of course in the midst of all that, Rick, Valerie, and I had some good discussions and we got to remember lots of memories with our cousins.  Many of the cousins commented how much they loved Dad and Mom (Grandpa and Grandma Giberson).  They also expressed that they were so glad that Dad and Karla had made a trip to Oregon this spring.

When I was growing up, I thought from time to time that it was weird that we were sealed to generations in the past when it seems like we were really more connected to the people who were alive at the same time (not a practical thought, but I was young then...).  However, at times like this when you are around relatives that you see some of those common things that make us similar even though we weren't together that much.  In some ways things are past from generation to generation--love of music, wildflowers, and beaches; the importance of friendships; storytelling and drama, teaching, writing and journals, poetry and reading; kindness and charity and many other things.  We all didn't get all of them (and somehow I completely missed the whole music gene) but in all of us there is a little bit that can probably be traced back through our "Owen-ness."  Even my children who aren't all "biologically" Owens have bits and pieces of that heritage that will be part of their lives as well.

Mt. Hood
Traveling east in Portland

Mt. St. Helens
View from the cemetery

Trees outside the hotel

Road to the temple

And of course, Oregon is just a magical place to have your relatives live, especially if you live in dry places like Richland, Washington, Texas, Arizona, and Utah.

And being there, I couldn't help think how happy Grandma Owen must be to have all of her four children together for at least a moment on August 10 when Aunt Lois joined them there.  Sadness here, but joy there.  I am glad to have know Lois Leith Owen Gibson and hope to try harder to do a little bit better to follow her example.