Alvijane Wallingford Obituary (1928

Alvijane Wallingford, 89, died in Milwaukie, Oregon on July 20, 2017. There will be a graveside service at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, August 23 at the Haines Cemetery. A celebration of life picnic is scheduled directly after internment at 618 Robert in Haines. Alvijane was born to William Beck Carrithers and Fay Valena Stewart Carrithers in Syracuse, Kansas on April 3, 1928. She was the second daughter and second of five children. The family lived on a ranch and Alvijane rode a horse to school. While still in elementary school, Alvijane would ride the windmill circuit to make sure that they were functioning properly. If she determined that there was a problem, she would request help from one of the ranch hands. She was such a skilled rider that her brother described her as the best cowboy he knew. She could kill a rattlesnake by snapping it on the head with the knot in her lariat. She married Loren John Seal as a high school junior and returned to finish her last two years of high school when her first two children, Janis and Timmy, were in elementary school. She graduated in 1953. In November of 1954, a third child, Lorene, was born. In the summer of 1955, the family moved to Oregon City. In 1959, Alvijane completed a college course to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. She loved nursing and worked in that field in Portland, Oregon City and Baker City until she retired in 1996. She spent the majority of her work in nursing homes where she was a tireless advocate for dignity for a person in their last years. She liked to bake special foods such as rolls, cinnamon rolls and gingerbread houses at Christmas and doll (or cowboy) cakes for birthdays. With the marriage of Alvijane and Andy Wallingford on February 27, 1970, the number of children Alvijane had increased to seven with the addition of Lloyd, Leonard, Larry and Leslie. Alvijane and Andy moved to Haines in 1980. They loved their life in Haines. Alvijane loved to fish and eat the catch. Together they made wooden dolls to swing from tree branches, they bought peanuts for the squirrels, which would wake them up by jumping on the roof. Alvijane loved to travel by car and she and Andy frequently took trips, including an extended one cross-country. Andy died on June 25, 1996 and Alvijane continued to live on the same property until medical issues necessitated a move to the Portland area in 2008. Alvijane was a happy, positive person who took joy from much around her and passed it on to those with whom she came into contact. These were some of her favorite things: flowers (especially sunflowers), windmills, hummingbirds, butterflies, opera, ballet, news, jigsaw puzzles, family reunions, panning for gold and fried green tomatoes. She was also an eclectic and voracious reader. She loved her pets, but it was with the grandchildren and great grandchildren where she shone. She would bounce them on her ankle, recite rhymes and sing them songs such as the "Cooties and the Bedbugs" and Ten in the Bed. She was much loved and is sorely missed.