MILTON-FREEWATER Mabel A. Poole, 87, of Milton-Freewater died Tuesday, May 24, 2011, at the St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla, Wash. A funeral service will be held Saturday, May 28, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. at the Valley Christian Center in Milton-Freewater with Pastor Sam Boettcher and Pastor Lance Lovlin (son) officiating. Graveside service will be at 2:30 p.m. at the Skyview Cemetery near Pendleton.

Mrs. Poole was born Dec. 23, 1923, the daughter of Sverre (Sam) and Matilda (Tilly) Guhdall Ristesund in Tuttle, N.D. She was the third of five children. When she was 5 years old, her father moved the family to Canada to homestead near the Peace River next to the Northern Territories. She grew up there through high school, and later was a schoolteacher there for a short time. She became a pitcher for the Canadian Professional Womens Softball team, known as The Orange Crush Team! Shortly thereafter, she married Jarle Lovlin in 1946, they lived in Manning, Alberta, Canada, where their first child was born. After moving to Bellevue, Ontario, Canada, their second child was born. While serving in the Royal Canadian Air force, her husband was killed. She then moved to Sioux Falls, S.D. While in Sioux Falls, she attended college, graduating from The Christian Workers Institute College with a certificate in Theology. Years later, she became a licensed minister.

While living and working in Sioux Falls, she met Arthur Leroy Poole, her husband of 57 years. They were married Oct. 16, 1953, in Luverne, Minn. They had two daughters. They lived in Pendleton for approximately 17 years. She managed the house wares department of the Bon Marche, as sales clerk and buyer for many years, then as a bookkeeper for Huskies Truck Stop. Mrs. Poole was a Sunday school teacher at the Pendleton First Assembly for many years. In 1974, she moved to Milton-Freewater. She served as the secretary for the Valley Christian Center where she also became heavily involved as a Sunday school teacher and also facilitated the young womens bible study group. In the summers, she was a grounds keeper for the U.S. Forest Service.

After retiring, Mrs. Poole joined her husband in volunteering for the seniors of the Blue Mountains, providing meals and activities for seniors.

Mrs. Poole is survived by her husband, Arthur Poole of Milton-Freewater; her four children, Lance Lovlin of Medford, Dianne Hufford of Walla Walla, Wash., Marcene Jones of Pendleton and LuErna Billings of Milton-Freewater; sisters Marcella Brown and Heloise Peterson, both of Alberta, Canada; eight grandchildren; and 24 great-grandchildren. 

Memorial contributions can be made to the Valley Christian Center BGMC or Christian Aid Center through the Munselle-Rhodes Funeral Home, 902 S. Main, Milton-Freewter, OR 97862.