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.
Loretta Jean Annala passed away peacefully at her home in Hood River, Ore., on May 18, 2011, at the age of 78. Her death was hastened by terminal emphysema. Loretta was born March 14, 1933, in Spirit Lake, Iowa, to Edward and Laura Margaret (Birchard) Daugherty.
Her early years were spent in Torrance, Calif., Bend, Ore., and Rowena, Ore., until the family moved to Hood River, where she enrolled in May Street Junior High as a seventh-grader. She graduated from Hood River High School in 1951 after a most active and cheerful participation, during which time she was head cheerleader and carnival queen, and where she and her surviving husband, Wayne, also a student, selected each other as lifetime partners.
On June 12, 1954, Loretta and Wayne Annala were married in the Riverside Church in Hood River and to this marriage arrived four children, all surviving: Susan Annala- Mullenax (and her husband, David Mullenax), of Tyler, Texas, Robyn Sleeper (and her husband, Jack Sleeper), of Waldport, Ore., Eric E. Annala and Davin A. Annala, both of Hood River, and foster daughter Jana Nichols Mattson (and her husband, Kevin Mattson), of Bend, Ore.
Also surviving are seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; her sister, Jackie Montgomery and family, of Mansfield, Ohio; and her brother, Buford Edward Daugherty and family, of Surprise, Ariz.
After graduation Loretta worked for the First National Bank, both in Hood River and the Portland main branch, and Travelers Insurance Engineering Department in Portland; and she served as a matron of the Eugene City Police Department (with uniform and badge) for three years while her husband attended law school, after which she returned to Travelers Insurance in Portland until the family returned to Hood River in January 1961.
Since then she raised four children with very sporadic assistance from Wayne; was a secretary in his law office; owned and operated the Hood River School of Music and Dance; organized and directed a successful variety show which raised several thousand dollars to refurbish the auditorium of the old Hood River High School (now the Middle School on May Street); became an outstanding chef and hostess; and, in more recent years, she enjoyed boating with Wayne in Canada and maintained a home in Newport, Ore., for several years.
The family expects to commit her ashes to the Pacific Ocean this summer to mingle at the same location with those of her dear friend, high school and lifetime "Big Sister" Mary Ann Trebin Barclay.
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center (Funerals, Receptions, Cremations), 1401 Belmont Ave., Hood River, OR 97031; 541-386-1000. Please visit www.andersonstributecenter.com to leave a note of condolence for family.
To plant a tree in memory of Loretta Annala as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
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