Longtime Estacada resident, Shirley Janzen, died on Saturday, July 15, 2023 in Gresham. She was 80 years old.
A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 22, 2023 at Living Word Fellowship, 12700 SE Orient Drive, Boring, OR 97009. Private interment will be at Willamette National Cemetery.
Shirley Anne Johnson was born April 17, 1943 in Tacoma, Washington to Ross and Evelyn (Dudley) Johnson. She was raised in Fircrest, Washington and graduated in 1961 from Woodrow Wilson High School. After high school, she went to work for Weyerhaeuser Shipping Company in Tacoma. On December 17, 1965, she married Gaylord Janzen in University Place, Washington. They moved to Kirksville, Missouri, where Gaylord attended medical school. Shirley worked as a bookkeeper at Montgomery Ward and Hollister until 1969, when they moved back to Oregon. They settled in Estacada in 1970, where Dr. Janzen began his medical practice and they started a family. Shirley handled the payroll and A/P for the medical office, working part time from home until they both retired in 2000. Shirley raised three children and devoted her life to loving her family and serving her Lord through her involvement at her church. She was always committed to teaching children about Jesus since she had decided to follow Jesus as a child.
Shirley enjoyed ceramics, flowers, hummingbirds, and being an active part of her church. Her greatest passion was teaching children through the Bible Release Program, where she taught and helped coordinate for 40 years. In 2005, she also received the Sunday School Teacher of the Year award through the Oregon District of the Assembly of God Church. She loved spending time with her family in Sunriver and celebrating every birthday and holiday together.
Survivors include her husband, Dr. Gaylord Janzen; daughters, Melanie (Vaughn) Wagner, Dr. Cynthia (Leo) Hoeft; son, Dr. Darren (Jessie) Janzen; 7 grandchildren, Stephanie (Dillen), Nicole (Landon), Grant (Lauren), Alea, Brittany (Scott), Graycin, and Kate; and 2 great grandchildren, William and Millie Kaye.