Obituary of Ruby Alfreda Jarrett
On Thursday, July 22, 2021, Ruby Alfreda Jarrett passed away at the age of 92. She was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Richard (Dick) Jarrett. Alfreda is survived by her daughter Diane Jarrett (and her son Ocean) and Nancy Jacobson (and her children Emma, Oliver and Alex).
Alfreda was born in Salem, Oregon on August 11, 1928, to Martha Ruby Carlson and Alfred Carlson. Alfreda grew up with her two beloved brothers, Neal and John (Louis) Carlson, in a home in Lake Oswego where the Hope Church is currently located. The three siblings had fun playing in the creek behind the house for many hours.
Alfreda and Dick first met at Lake Grove School (later known as Lake Grove Elementary) and were even in the same class. After graduating 8th grade together, they parted ways for a while to attend different high schools: Alfreda went to West Linn High School and Dick went to Lincoln High School.
Alfreda was a member of the Cascade Ski Club in Government Camp. She said she and her girlfriends had lots of fun manually packing down the snow for the racing team by walking sideways up and down the racing route.
Alfreda briefly moved to Los Angeles, then returned to Portland and worked at Sawyers for several years.
Alfreda and Dick reconnected through friends in the early 1950s and married on August 14, 1954. They moved back to Lake Oswego, bought a small house (formerly a barn) and remodeled it, and remodeled it again to bring it to its present glory.
Before children arrived, they would enjoy skiing with their friends. In times of gas rationing, they would all pool their money, pile into one vehicle, and head up to Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood for some fun. On their way home, they would sometimes stop at the Zigzag Inn to dance the “race horse polka.” Starting at one end of the dance floor, they would polka as fast as they could to the other end. They spoke of this with great joy. It sounded fun, and dangerous too!
After Diane and Nancy were born, Alfreda worked as a child care provider and volunteered at Lake Grove Elementary, where Diane and Nancy attended. (Ocean, Diane’s son, also attended Lake Grove Elementary.) Alfreda was a Blue Bird leader and Camp Fire leader for several years in the 1970s. She also volunteered for many elections and had her Camp Fire troup assist with clean up and restoration at the Lake Oswego Pioneer Cemetery for Mary Goodall of the Lake Oswego Historical Society.
In the late 1970s, Alfreda took a job in Customer Service at Sears, Washington Square. She always went above and beyond to make sure customers were cared for.
Alfreda and Dick were members of the Lake Oswego Hunt Club during the many years that Diane and Nancy rode horses there. They were also members of the Lake Oswego World Travelers, taking several exciting vacations with this group. After Dick retired, Alfreda retired too, and they spent many fun-filled years of retirement together, visiting with family and friends, and traveling.
Alfreda will be greatly missed for her outgoing attitude, glorious smile and laughter, and her generosity and willingness to help anyone who needed it.
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