Florence Helen ‘Hilma’ Wirta Waugaman

Florence Helen “Hilma” (Wirta) Waugaman was born Feb. 6, 1918, to William Wirta and Hilma “Helen” Lassila Wirta in Astoria, Ore. Both her parents had immigrated to America from Finland. Her mother’s father was a minister in a town near Helsinki, Finland. Her parents staffed one of the last manned lighthouses on the Columbia River in the Astoria area.

She graduated from Beaverton High School and married Alfred Duval Jackson of Beaverton. She graduated from “Beauty School,” now known as Cosmetology School, in Portland, and was a successful beautician and hair stylist for more than 45 years. She owned three beauty shops over the years, as well as being one of the top hairstylists in the Portland area for many years, working at Meier & Franks and Charles F. Bergs, in their salons. The salon manager at Bergs gave her the nickname, “Flash,” for the rapid way she could turn out wonderful hair styles for many satisfied customers, of which she had a large following.

Florence and Al had one child, a daughter, Dorothy Gaye, born in 1942. She has a younger sister, Dorothy May Heacock who resides in Bellevue. Florence was very artistic and created many lovely dried floral and driftwood arrangements, some of which were contest winners. She took that artistic talent seriously, attending classes and seminars throughout the years. She was teased a lot about her driftwood collecting, returning from camping and fishing trips, with every space in the vehicle, and later travel trailers or mobile home crammed with “artistic materials,” from which she would later make her wonderful creations. Her family remembers tying socks together on some of these trips to haul unwieldy, larger pieces up the beach.

She and Al divorced, both remarried and Al died in 1961. She later married Wally Arnold, with whom she shared the love of fishing and camping. They purchased a home in Battleground, where he passed away in 1977. She married Charles, (Chuck) Waugaman and they shared trips in their motor home across the country, moving to Fort Meyers, Fla., for a couple of years before returning to the Portland area. They loved to play golf, and while living in Florida would start out at 5 a.m. to beat the heat, so they could return to their air-conditioned home by 9 or 10 a.m.

They were fortunate to go on several cruises, Hawaii, Alaska and elsewhere. She went to The Holy Land and Hong Kong by herself and she and her sister were able to go on a cruise together. She loved to travel, anywhere, anytime. Florence and Chuck were visiting her daughter and son-in-law, Walt Carlson, at their home in Duvall when he passed away in 1987. She returned to Portland to live and work for a few years, but came up to Bellevue to be close to family. During that time she volunteered at Trinity Broadcasting, 700 Club on their phone help/prayer lines.

Following one illness she stayed with her granddaughter, and family, Valerie and Valentine Burkhauser, and great-granddaughters Katie and Nicki for awhile in Auburn and then moved to Oak Harbor to live with her daughter and son-in-law for a brief period until she moved to her apartment in Oak Harbor in 1999. She is survived by them, her three granddchildren, Valerie and family, Eric (Robin) Ostlund and their children Annika and Cole of Austin, Texas, and David and Velma Ostlund of Kodiak, Alaska, and his daughter, Ryan of Bozeman, Mont. Also her sister Dorothy Heacock and nieces Gail Alef of Bellevue, Lynne Stamoulis of Hawaii, nephew Gregg Heacock of Vashon Island, their children, and an extended family through marriage.

Florence was active volunteering wherever she lived, at the hospitals in Fort Meyers, and briefly Island Hospital in Anacortes before illness slowed her down. She worked at the office and library of Living Word Fellowship Church, where she had many friends who were very kind and good to her and for her. She loved her swimming group at the Anacortes pool, where she swam as often as three times a week for necessary exercise, and enjoyed many happy out of pool memories as well with those ladies. She continued to make lovely floral arrangements which many of you, the library, and church and hospital have received. And she never quit gathering driftwood, starting to teach great-granddaughters Katie and Nicki about what to look for on their summer visit this year. Returning home from Island Hospital and Alliance Rehabilitation Center, where she had wonderful care, she was able to see her precious kitty, Teddy Bear, go to Bible study at church, visit with friends and family for a few days.

Sunday, Oct. 12, she went in to lie down to rest, and woke up in the House of the Lord, where, Praise God, she will Live forever. A celebration of life service will be held Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m., at Living Word Fellowship-Foursquare Church with Pastor Dave Veach officiating; a pot-luck lunch will be served afterwards. The family suggests remembrances to the church or to WAIF in her name. Funeral arrangements and cremation under the direction of Burley Funeral Chapel of Oak Harbor.