Marlys Elaine Michaelson

Michaelson, Marlys Elaine; born February 23, 1938 and died March 20, 2013. Ms. Michaelson passed away peacefully in Beaverton, in a local area hospice facility. Ms. Michaelson was born in Hudson, Wisconsin to parents Mabelle Elaine (Swartz) Wheeless of Portland and Edmund Melvin Lund Michaelson, who preceded her in death in 1960, in addition to grandparents; Nels and Maren (Olson/Nilsdatter) Michaelson of Hudson, Wisc. Ms. Michaelson attended Portland Union Academy (now Portland Adventist Academy), as a graduating member of the Class of 1956 and was a longtime member of the Seventh-Day Adventist church. Ms. Michaelson worked for most of her working career as a telephone operator for Pacific NW Bell, GTE (in Beaverton and Hood River, Ore) and as a civilian employed with US government agencies; GSA/FTS Telcom and the United States Air force, until her retirement in 1992. Ms. Michaelson was a friend, sister, mother and grandmother who loved Oregon, having lived on the coast with her family as a young girl. She loved spontaneous traveling within Oregon, often taking spur of the moment trips to the coast with her grandchildren as her “guests-of-honor” in her signature, bright Orange Corvette. She loved drawing and painting the beauty of Oregon scenery, reading & studying The Bible and listening to & singing with her favorite musical artists; The Judds, Patsy Cline, Patty Page and especially Christian music group, The Heritage Singers. Marlys would often drive with her grandchildren to the airport and park, just watch the planes take off and land, imagining to what exotic place they were headed with hot dogs in their hands on a warm summer evening. It was the simple things that she cherished most. Ms. Michaelson was intelligent, funny, full of spunk, spirit and imagination; having an unexplainable zest for life that was contagious. Marlys had passions for so many things, her life was full and she did her best to enjoy each moment. Her life was marked with great pride in her work as it was for her family. As the years passed and her health began to decline and her body limited her abilities physically, you could still find her smiling and laughing through the pain. Her body may have been slowing down yet her spirit never did, she remained courageously strong and though her life waned, her faith in God did not. Ms. Michaelson’s family mourns her death here on earth, but takes comfort in knowing she is singing in heaven; is healed, free of pain and now in a place full of possibilities and new adventures to explore. She will always be with us. She is survived by her mother, Mabelle Elaine Wheeless of Portland, Ore.; former husband and forty-two year companion, Robert F. McAfee of Beaverton, Ore.; daughter, Shelle’ Elayne (Yank) Michaelson of Gresham, Ore.; brother, Michael Richard Michaelson of Medford, Ore.; in addition to four adult grandchildren; granddaughters; Amanda Pace of Great Lakes, Ill., Cassandra Schmidt of Tigard, Ore., Katharyne O’Neel of Vancouver, Wash., and grandson; Jon Durbin of Gresham; in addition to nine great-grandchildren, a niece, a nephew and numerous cousins in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Norway. Arrangements by Autumn Funerals, Cremation & Burial, Tigard, Oregon.