Louise Slawson

Louise Slawson, loving mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully at her home in Oregon City, with family by her side, on October 13th at the age of 82. She courageously battled kidney cancer for several years and lived a life full of joy and love until the end. Louise was born in Marshall Arkansas to William Jackson Barnes and Birdie Pearl (Edens) Barnes. They lived on a farm in the Ozarks with Louise's younger brother Ron until 1950. That was the year they sold the farm, bought a red 1949 Dodge truck and moved out West. They joined other family members that had already moved to Washington and settled in Union Gap. Louise was a good student but wanted to get out on her own as soon as she could. She worked hard, skipped a grade and graduated at the age of 16 from Eisenhower High School in Yakima. She lived for a brief period in Yakima but soon decided to move to the big city of Seattle where she started a job at Boeing as an administrative assistant. There she met her first husband, Alvie Stults and they went on to live several places including Pullman Washington (where their first son Gregg was born) and Poughkeepsie New York. They arrived just outside Oregon City, Oregon in 1972. In 1974, Louise and Alvie were divorced; Louise, Gregg and newborn David started a new life. Louise started working at Clackamas Community College (CCC) as an administrative assistant and purchased a home on 8th Street in Oregon City. She would stay in that house for almost 50 years. Louise made a career at CCC and worked her way up to Purchasing Agent and Telecommunication Manager. She led the effort to install the first modern phone system at the college, and her voice would greet every caller into this new automated system. Her voice was so good that CCC would continue to pay Louise to record system messages even after she retired. In 1980, Louise married Jim Slawson, and although the marriage was brief, she ultimately decided to keep his surname. Through smart choices and good luck, Louise was able to comfortably retire at the age of 55, when she would begin a fun-filled period of dancing and travel. Louise was an avid square and round dancer. She was a member of several clubs in the Portland area and danced at festivals throughout the US and Canada. She was highly skilled at both square and round dancing and cued round dance as well. In addition to dancing, Louise loved to travel. She traveled throughout the world - Europe, including a memorable trip to Russia, Asia, Hawaii, Australia, and South America. One of her favorite trips was a 30-day cruise around the Horn of South America that included a visit to Machu Picchu in Peru. Many of her trips were on cruise ships and she often travelled with her best friend Elaine Kindred. From the time Louise was a child, she loved to sew. She created many of her own square dance dresses and she could follow patterns or create her own designs. Later in her life she started quilting and created many beautiful quilts for herself, family, and friends. Louise is survived by her two sons, Gregg Stults and David Stults, their wives Dina Stults and Trina Stults, her grandchildren, Ashley Davis, Jessica Stults, Lindsey Champ, Julia Stults, Vivian Stults and Jack Stults, and her brothers Ronald Barnes and Wallace Barnes. She was also very-much looking forward to her first great-grandchild Harlow Davis who is due in January 2024. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations in Louise's memory to the Oregon Food Bank.

Louise Slawson

June 17, 1941 - October 13, 2023