Leona J. Michaelis

Leona J. Michaelis was born during the Great Depression on May 21, 1930 in McLeod, North Dakota. As one of nine children, she did her share of chores around the family farm -- laundry, house cleaning, cooking, sewing, and looking after her younger brothers and sisters. Many extended family members lived nearby -- grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins -- and Leona enjoyed the large family gatherings. Her fondest childhood memories were of Little Christmas, a Scandinavian tradition, and fishing in the summertime with her favorite cousin, Eugene.

Leona's family moved to Oregon in the 1940s. Entering high school, she soon became part of an active social group, which included life-long best friend, Florence, and Don Michaelis, with whom Leona would elope on May 31, 1947 in Vancouver, Washington.

Tragedy struck Leona and Don early on. Their son, David Keith Michaelis, died April 8, 1948, two days after he was born. The loss was a tremendous blow to Leona, and she never spoke of it. Nevertheless, Leona and Don's marriage remained strong. They later had three daughters: Janice, Barbara, and Beverly, all of whom live in the Portland metropolitan area. Janice and her husband, Yoshinori, have three children the family is extremely proud of: Seikoku, Masataka, and Rita.

Leona and Don spent 46 happy years together, until Don's death on October 3, 1993. They were the loves of each other's lives.

If you knew Leona, you would understand why Don thought the world of her. She was a beautiful, capable, and responsible woman. Raised a Presbyterian, she attended church regularly as a youngster, and always looked forward to Vacation Bible School in the summers. As Leona matured, her belief in God remained steadfast, but her views on religion changed. Spiritually, she came to feel that leading by example and passing on strong moral values to her children was of utmost importance. Her husband Don felt the same way. Together, they were kind, considerate, and fair-minded and taught their children and grandchildren to be the same.

The photograph was taken for her 8th grade graduation. In the final two years of her life, Leona battled cancer with grace and dignity. She lost her fight on March 4, 2002. Leona leaves behind a legacy of courage for her children and grandchildren. Cancer was not the first battle she waged. Leona was born with a birth defect that left her with only one arm.

From the time she was a little girl, her mother Gertrude, a no-nonsense Norwegian, made it clear that Leona would not be coddled. She was expected to do her share. Because she was expected to succeed and excel, she did. Leona became the quintessential homemaker -- sewing suits, formal gowns, dresses, skirts, and all manner of clothing for her family. Her homemade pies, cinnamon rolls, and Norwegian Lefse are legendary. The one-armed farm girl grew up to be skilled at many things: upholstery, jewelry making, crafts, and quilting. She was a person of accomplishment because she never felt sorry for herself. In fact, she was such a capable person, that it often took many visits to the Michaelis home before her daughters' friends would notice that she only had one arm. Even then, they usually did not believe their eyes and had to ask.

Leona was unusual in another, completely unexpected way. She faced down discrimination and won. Being a depression-era baby in North Dakota, she well understood the importance of saving and stretching a dollar. Always a voracious reader and keen observer, she became interested in the stock market. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she began exploring avenues to invest her family's money. In the beginning, she encountered great difficulty finding a brokerage firm that would take orders from a woman, but eventually, she prevailed. And Leona's family reaped the benefits. In another era, the former dropout who chose to elope rather than finish high school would have been a stockbroker or financial planner.

At the end of her life, Leona oversaw one final sewing project. Her daughter Beverly wanted to make a pillow quilt as a gift for her friend Reiko. During her life, Leona made many quilts for her children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, so the project was a familiar one. She was not strong enough to do the work herself, but she guided Beverly and the project was completed. Two years after Leona's death, the pillow quilt was entered in the Clackamas County Fair by Beverly and her friend. Leona's last sewing project won a premium ribbon -- a fitting epitaph for a heroine.

Honoring Acknowledgement: In loving memory Leona J. Michaelis is honored by her daughters: Janice L. Asaoka, Barbara J. Michaelis, Beverly A. Michaelis. Written by Beverly Michaelis