Our sister Colene was born on February 19, 1941, in Astoria, Oregon. Dad was stationed there with the National Guard, at Fort Stevens.  In her infancy. she traveled to California, and to Georgia as a nation prepared for war.

Her early years were spent across the bridge in the old white house at Culp Creek, Oregon. Learning about the river…listening to the sounds of the Bohemia mill…completely comfortable with a fishing pole in her hand, or ranging down the riverbank to find newts and crawdads. She was a child of natur, fully in her element.

She attended Culp Creek School, and, when the family moved into Eugene in 1951, she attended Willakenzie Grade School.. She also attended Cal Young Junior High School, and graduated from South Eugene High School in 1959. She was always an honor student, and a member of photography club and science club. She found pleasure in taking pictures, and was often at odds with mom, who could never understand why she would take a picture with no people in it. She loved fishing…camping…hunting with the family. Daddy taught her that to do anything well, often required getting muddy or bloody or both. And Colene was always ready for an adventure. She enjoyed her friends, week-ends at Uncle Lew’s cabin on Horse Creek on the McKenzie River. Uncle Lew was a special friend who taught her about good music, fine dining, and taking pictures. Summers she was a mainstay for Dad, especially until brother Noel was old enough. It was not unusual to find her taking a group of businessmen from Salt Lake City out salmon fishing, or hauling a load of lumber to Riddle, or driving the ’56 t-bird to the coast, or a 53’ Willy’s Jeep pell-mell across a sand dune.

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Oregon, in 1964. Attended Weaver Airlines School in Kansas City for long enough to know that the travel industry was not for her. And that her place was in the natural settings of Oregon. She and Dad had a special affinity for trout fishing, and for speeding the jet boat up over rapids a sane person might not even attempt. She always looked forward to the annual family gathering at the mouth of Quosatna Creek, on the Rogue.

When Daddy died in 1969, all of us were left without our anchor. It was Colene who helped the family move back to Eugene from Milwaukie. In 1970, she joined me in Monterey, California, where we had a bookstore. She was my partner, my best friend, my mentor, my anchor there in the first of many such times in our lives. In 1972, while celebrating with friends one evening, David Johnson suddenly asked her to marry him…and I have never heard her answer so fast in my life. Yes! On February 14, 1972, among family and friends, she became Mrs David Kendrick Johnson.

They lived in Monterey, California where Colene became involved in the catering business, and discovered that she loved to cook. David was a complex man, an artist..and the responsibility for keeping his genius afloat often fell into Colene’s capable hands. She worked for many years as the private cook for a woman in Carmel, California. Her life was full of David, and her beloved Derby, a Lab mix, and partner for many years.
 

When Derby died, and David’s health began to fail in 1986, the couple moved  to Eugene to be close to the family.  Colene began a long period with the Eugene Hotel Retirement Center, doing work she enjoyed, among friends who remained very important to her. In 1990, she also met a new friend, Scooter- a little black dog of the poodle persuasion, who remained her devoted and constant companion until his accidental death two months ago. They came as a pair, Colene and Scooter, sharing adventures and misadventures. From 1990- 1996, Colene was a member of the Board of Directors of Big Brother-Big Sister of Mid-Oregon, and was unstinting in her contributions to that organization. In 1996, Colene went to work for PSC, Inc., where she made many new friends among her co-workers. She was employed there until her death.