Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Faith Louise Keolker (“Louie” to family) of Hood River, Ore., passed away April 4, 2018, at 1:45 a.m. She was 52 years old.
Faith was born on Jan. 20, 1966, in Scunthorpe, England, the only child of Keith and Rosalind Hardcastle. She attended Goxhill primary school and completed her higher education at St. James Choir School, Grimsby.
Faith turned down the opportunity to go to university in favor of working for her parents, who owned the Salthouse Pub in Clevedon, Somerset. This was also a popular move with a number of Faith’s school colleagues, who visited regularly.
Faith lived in Clevedon for 20 years, where she made many new friends. In 2005, she took the opportunity to work overseas with an international non-profit organization, the Motivation Charitable Trust, in Sri Lanka. It was here that Faith met her true love and soulmate, Thomas Joseph Keolker. They were married at Crown Point in Corbett, Ore., on Feb. 23, 2008. Thomas and Faith settled in Hood River, Ore., where they welcomed their beloved daughter, Sophia Claire, also born in 2008.
In the same year, they founded Hearts of Gold Caregivers, an in-home care agency devoted to providing help for older adults so they can continue living in their homes for as long as possible.
Faith was a member of the Soroptimist International of Hood River for many years, serving as director and secretary. Faith was much loved by family and close friends who were especially privy to her dry British humor.
Faith’s cancer diagnosis in 2015 was a major blow. She continued to work when she was able in the business operations, but eventually Faith took a step back to focus on her other interests like poetry writing, spiritual growth and spending quality time with her daughter.
Faith was an animal lover and always had dogs and cats in her family. She leaves Gracie and Pipkin to the gentle care of her daughter, Sophia. Faith became a very spiritual person in later life and embraced the teachings of many different beliefs and authors.
She loved old movies, musicals and classic English literature. She enjoyed music and played classical guitar, ukulele and piano. Although Faith was naturalized in 2013, a piece of her heart will always belong to her “green and pleasant” homeland.
At her core, Faith was a genuinely good person. Everything she said and did came from that well-grounded soul. She was a wonderful, loving wife and perfect mother to her daughter. We’re deeply grateful for the pleasure of Faith in our lives. She will be deeply missed, but never forgotten.
We would like to thank the many people who became so important in our lives during Faith’s ordeal with cancer: Dr. Bernstein and the incredible oncology team at Providence hospital in Hood River, Dr. Sjoblom, the doctors and nurses at both the Providence hospitals in Hood River and Portland. The office team at Hearts of Gold Caregivers who kept the ship afloat, so Thomas could attend to Faith’s needs. The caregivers who provided compassionate, loving care to Faith in her home. The countless family and friends, in the U.S. and abroad, whose prayers and positive thoughts and support brought comfort and eased our way.
Faith is survived by her daughter, Sophia, husband, Thomas, her parents Keith and Rosalind Hardcastle in Yarpole, England, as well as her uncles, Terence, Rodney, Stephen and their wives, Susan, Dorothy and Lorraine, respectively, and their children and grandchildren. In the U.S.A., she is survived by her sisters-in-law, Yvette, Teri, MaryRose, Sami, Kathy and Suzie and their spouses, Joan, Larry, Mike and Herb, as well as her nieces Alex, Jacquie and Maddie. She is preceded in death by her grandparents George and Rita Hardcastle and Sid and Rita Eyles, and her uncle Mervyn.
The following quote by Terry Tempest Williams rings true for us:
“Faith is the centerpiece of a connected life. It allows us to live by the grace of invisible strands. It is a belief in a wisdom superior to our own. Faith becomes a teacher in the absence of fact.”
A time to celebrate Faith’s life and mourn her passing is planned for 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 21 at Anderson’s Tribute Center (Funerals • Receptions • Cremations), 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River. A reception will follow, with graveside rites at Pine Grove Butte Cemetery.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.