Verla May Swehosky, January 19, 1932 – May 12, 2021

Verla May Swehosky, our beloved mother, quietly journeyed home to heaven on May 12, 2021. She is survived by her three children, Dan Swehosky (Oregon) and his wife Pat, Frank Swehosky (Texas) and his wife JoAnne, and Susan Avny (California) and her husband David, as well as her younger brother, Lawrence Maxwell (New Mexico) and his wife Jan. She adored all of her eight grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins scattered throughout the western U.S.

Born in Klamath Falls on January 19, 1932, she later moved to Topanga, California, where she resided for over 20 years. She then returned with her family to live in her favorite home state of Oregon in the Willamette Valley. When she and her husband, Ernest, retired, they moved to the Crossroads development just outside of Sisters off the lovely McKenzie Highway. The two were so happy in their little home amongst the ponderosa pines, in the company of deer, birds, and squirrels.

Upon Ernest’s death in 2019, Verla moved into The Lodge in Sisters on Carpenter Street, where she lived as independently as she could until illness prevailed. The care she received there was amazing! And Pat Lamoureux, her senior advocate, along with her husband, Roger, and neighbor, Gaylene Craven, did a fantastic job of being our eyes and ears when we could not be near.

Verla was in regular attendance at the Tuesday senior luncheons, helped out at the food bank, played bunco, and for a time attended the Church of the Nazarene.

She was a generous soul, always wanting to give whatever she could to show appreciation of others.

Many received her seemingly endless supply of banana bread and peanut brittle, which she made expressly to give away to the staff at The Lodge, Ray’s, Bi-Mart, and anyone she thought needed some sweet nourishment or appreciation.

She was always handy with a ready compliment on someone’s hair or clothes, and no child escaped her gaze without an abundance of loving attention.

No one was a stranger to our mother and she will be greatly missed by those of us who were lucky enough to be captured in her sunny orbit.

We love yo, Mom, and look forward to being in your presence once again when our own time comes. And we know your signature dishes of enchiladas, lamb stew, persimmon pudding, and banana bread will be all that more tasty and satisfying in God’s blessed heaven!