Funeral services for Genevieve “Jenny” Rollag will be held Saturday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. at Oak Harbor Lutheran Church with Pastor Laurie Johnson officiating. Visitation for family and friends will be Friday, Sept. 30, from 2 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to noon at Burley Funeral Chapel.

Our much beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and aunt passed away on Sept. 24, 2005, at the age of 83 following a courageous battle with cancer.

Jenny was born in Eden Valley Township, N.D. to Ruth and Fred LaCrosse on Feb. 17, 1922 and was the oldest of nine children. On June 13, 1940 she married Leonard Rollag in Chester, N.D. and moved to Montana, where they stayed until 1942.  Leonard found work at the shipyard in Portland, Ore., so the family, including their young son, Harry, moved out to Oregon.

Soon after settling in Oregon, Monty, their second son, was born, followed by their daughter, Linda. Jenny stayed home while their children were young, she volunteered at the kids’ schools and the boys’ Little League.  Her love of baseball was born at those Little League games and she grew in later years to be a big fan of the Seattle Mariners. You knew not to “bug” her while a Mariner game was on, but you could expect a call afterward to talk about how good or bad they did.

In 1956 Leonard was offered an opportunity to go into partnership with Mel Boyer and Wes Maylor at Boyer Ford Sales in Oak Harbor. Leonard accepted their offer and the family, once again, moved. Jenny was a part time bookkeeper for the business.

After selling the dealership Jenny was employed at Thriftway Foods in the bakery department, and then came her introduction to the restaurant business when Ponciano Acode offered her a job managing his restaurant, The Tradewinds Cafe, near Ault Field. She told him she had no experience in management, but he didn’t care because he knew she would be a loyal and trustworthy employee and that was what he needed to keep his restaurant going.

In 1972 Jenny and Leonard bought Ponchos Restaurant in Oak Harbor where they introduced UFO’s on a plate and the best chile rellenos for miles around. After selling Ponchos Jenny and Leonard went into partnership with their son Harry and purchased another restaurant they called The Port Hole, formerly known as The Kennel Cafe in downtown Oak Harbor.

Jenny was a member of the Oak Harbor Lutheran Church, Emblem Club 450, Oak Harbor Garden Club and the Civic Club of Oak Harbor.

She is survived by her son Monty Rollag and his wife Donna and her daughter Linda Rollag-Jennerjohn and her husband Paul, all of Oak Harbor. She also leaves two grandsons Vince and Lance Rollag, great grandsons Ryan and Payton, also of Oak Harbor, and great grandson Max of Hamilton, Mont. and great granddaughter Janessa of Oak Harbor. She is also survived by sisters Vi Helming, Carol Nelson, Shirley Baker, Donna Bryant, Diane Stoop and Margie Johnson, and so many wonderful nieces and nephews. She was proceeded in death by her parents, her love of over 50 years, Leonard, her son Harry, her brother Donald “Swede” LaCrosse and her sister Marylou Maylor.

The family suggests that memorials may be made to the Oak Harbor Lutheran Church or the Tall Elks Crippled Children’s Fund or the charity of your choice.

Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Burley Funeral Chapel.