Violet L. Ais

Violet Garber was born November 18, 1918 in Spokane Washington and adopted by Elmer and Julia Garber when she was 3 months old. She lived in Kellogg, Idaho until age five and then moved to outer Portland (77th and SE Clinton) with her parents. Her mother, Julia, died when Violet was only 11. Elmer remarried in September 1930 to Elizabeth Sheffield a couple of years after Julia\u0027s death. Violet graduated from Franklin High School in 1936 and was accepted into Emanuel Hospital School of Nursing, November 11, 1936. After receiving her RN degree she continued working at Emanuel. She did a couple of nursing rotations at Edgefield Manor when it was a poor farm and at the Prineville hospital when it was located in the local doctor\u0027s home. During her early nursing career she met Edward Preston Drais and they were married September 7, 1941. They lived on NE 11th near Fremont while Ed did machine work in the shipyards and Portland Public Schools. He enlisted in the Navy Seabee\u0027s in 1943 and was shipped out to the South Pacific 3 months after their first child, Nancy, was born. Ed returned home in late 1945 and he and Violet bought a home on SE 57th near Hawthorne Blvd. Three more children were added to the familyMichael, Gregory and Janet. When Janet reached school age Violet decided to return to her nursing career and took the state refresher courses. She was employed at Emanuel Hospital working in the Labor/Delivery Room. In 1986, after about 30 years, Violet retired from Emanuel Hospital. Violet and Ed were very involved with their children\u0027s growing years. The children all attended Franklin High School where Ed was Head Custodian. His employment made for convenient times during sport activities. However, it also meant the children had to behave because everyone knew they belonged to him. As parents they were part of many extra-curricular activities and it\u0027s hard to imagine the energy and dedication it took! The activities included Girl and Boy Scouts, Blue Birds, swimming, wrestling, football, Job\u0027s Daughters and church/school activities and programs. Oh and there was always a fishing trip (salmon, sturgeon, trout, smelt or anything else living in the water) in the mix. There couldn\u0027t have been much time for anything else when you had 4 kids. The family enjoyed holidays and camping trips with friends. A couple of the camping trips became yearly adventures to Todd Lake off Century Drive near Bend and also to Tillamook Bay and BarView jetty for clamming, crabbing and jetty fishing. Nothing\u0027s better than catching crabs, starting a bonfire and boiling a pot of ocean water to cook the crabs. Then you\u0027d sit on the shore clean and eat them right there. The \u0026quot;boys\u0026quot; took annual fishing trips to the Wilson River and, as a family, stayed at Siskeyville cabins - not much more than line shacks. There are many memories of some really shivering cold nights and days of jumping into massive fall leaf piles. Even now Michael and Gregory continue those fishing trips with additional \u0026quot;boys,\u0026quot; although the big Wilson River fish have largely disappeared! The \u0026quot;girls\u0026quot; found other things to do together. Eventually, after many years, Violet and Ed separated and those family times became memories, many of which continue with their grandchildren. When Violet retired from nursing she found other things to occupy her time. She\u0027d always enjoyed sewing so at Christmas began making beautiful stuffed animals (pound puppies, penguins, squirrels) for each of the grandkidsthere were now 11! She traveled to Mexico and Hawaii with friends. Violet also learned to work with stained glass and replaced numerous windows in her home. Many volunteer hours were spent at Toy N Joy Makers bringing joy to local families during the Christmas holiday season. She also became part of the volunteer program at Adventist Medical Center in SE Portland. Most her life was spent living in the Mt Tabor area of Portland. She was a member of Mt Tabor Presbyterian Church and for 25 years she lived across the street from the church on 55th. After selling that home she moved into Cherrywood Village and happily lived there for 16 years. Her home was filled with flowers and countless pictures of all the many kids and grandkids. In August, 2016, Violet broke her ankle and moved to Cherry Blossom Cottages where she passed away March 3, 2017. Violet is survived by her four children, Nancy (Ron) Nelson, Michael (Debbie Burton) Drais, Gregory (Judy) Drais and Janet (Bruce) Alton. They all live in the Portland metro area and have always been part of each other\u0027s lives. Violet is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. In a couple of months the great-grandchildren will total 22. In addition to her immediate family, there is another special person in Violet\u0027s life. She and Eleanor Hilderbrand (Auntie Eleanor to the family) met when they were both around 8 years old. They have been faithful friends for 90 years and lived their entire lives together near Mt Tabor. Violet was full of life, had a very sharp wit and always ready to lend a helping hand. She had many friends, and she often considered them part of her extended family. Her children will miss the lunch-time chats and free pie Wednesday\u0027s at The Village Inn on Stark, weekly \u0026quot;Mother\u0027s Day\u0026quot; grocery and Friday clothes shopping trips, day trips around the Portland metro area reminiscing about the past, visits from grandchildren and their children. There will be many powerful memories of \u0026quot;Mom\u0026quot; each time the family gathers for any celebrations. A private family graveside service was held March 9, 2017 at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery. Her friends and family would like you to join us at a celebration of her life on Mother\u0027s Day afternoon, May 14th. Save the date and as Mother\u0027s Day gets closer you can call one of her children or email them at nursedog@gmail.com for more information."",