At 94-years-old Laura lived a full and vibrant life that spanned decades and states before she settled in Oregon to start a family. Laura was independent up to the very end of her life which was exactly as she wanted it.

Laura was born in Algona, Iowa on May 25, 1926 to Carl B Albright and Stella Gross. Laura was the eldest of four siblings and had a large extended family as her mother was one of 18 children. In the 1930s Laura and her family lived in Hayfield, Minnesota on a farm with no running water or refrigeration. Laura recalled cold nights going to the outhouse in the Minnesota winters. Life in Minnesota was hard as the Great Depression descended on the US but Laura made many happy memories with her younger sister Terry whom she cherished.

In Laura’s early teenage years her mother left the family and Laura raised her younger siblings and helped her father Carl. She adored her father who had a quick wit and dry humor that she inherited. Laura remained in Hayfield and graduated high school in 1944. She was lifelong friends with several of her classmates.

The next years of Laura’s life were an adventure and she was far ahead of her time in her independence. In 1947 she drove a pickup truck to California to meet up with her high-school sweetheart. The young couple then drove across the country to settle in Babson, Park Florida. They married in 1947 but were divorced by 1949. Laura then wound up back in Chicago where her sister was living and met her second husband Mason P. Buck, a tennis pro.

Laura and Mason moved to Palm Beach for his career, and she taught for the Aurthur Murray Dance Studio. It was there she taught the Roosevelt’s grandsons to dance. Laura loved the warm sun of Florida – a stark contrast to Minnesota. During her time in Florida, she and Mason traveled to Key West and Cuba many times in the 1950s. Laura loved the bright colors of Cuba and learned some Spanish from her travels.

In 1959, Laura and Mason divorced and she left Florida for a new job in Philadelphia. Laura was not in Philadelphia long, in October 1959 she was transferred to Portland, Oregon and served as an Office Manager for General Tire Corporation and Western Photo Mount. She bought her own home on NE 113th street by herself in 1962, an admirable feat for a single divorcee. She was a true lady of the 1960s and her interior design was imbued with her personality. She decorated her house in bold turquoise colors and her home had a large mural of zebras.

In 1965, Laura’s friend dragged her to a “Parents Without Partners” dance despite her having no child at the time. It was at this dance she met the love of her life, divorcee William “Bill” Bradley. He was smitten. They were married the next year in 1966 and Laura became stepmom to Bill’s two teenage children Peggy and Patricia. Having spent many years helping raise other people’s children, Laura wanted a child of her own. In 1969 her wish came true as Bill and Laura adopted Christopher Neil Bradley.

While living in the Parkrose area, Bill and Laura became friends their politically active neighbors including Barbara Roberts, who was involved with the local PTA. Barbara was a lifelong friend and they supported her throughout her political career. Bill was elected Oregon State House of Representatives, four times. Laura served as his secretary during two of those terms in the 1970’s. It was also in these years that Laura met her best friend June Gumz – the two shared a friendship that spanned five decades. June and Laura visited often and during Covid they spoke on the phone every day.

In 1982, Bill and Laura built their dream home in Corbett, Oregon. They loved being near the trees and in the country. During these years they loved to entertain family and friends and visit with their grandchildren. It was also during these years they inherited a farm in Eudora, Arkansas that they tended to for many years, crossing the country to split time until they sold the property to their good friends and neighbors the Hensley family.

One of Laura’s greatest joys in life was attending church and fellowship with friends. She attended the Portland Center for Spiritual Living for 35 years. She loved helping Reverend Larry King edit his sermons and counted him as a trusted spiritual advisor and close friend.

After 47 years of marriage, Bill passed away in 2013 and Laura moved to Somerset Lodge Independent Living where she quickly made friends. Laura lived a long and full life – passing just 6 weeks shy of her 95th birthday. Her parting wish to her family was for everyone to “have a great life” and she made sure to tell her children she would be ok.

Laura will be deeply missed for her kindhearted spirit, dry wit and quiet charm. She is survived by her son, C. Neil Bradley (Valerie), stepdaughters Peggy Bradley (Andy), Patricia Ridgley (Randall). Her sister, Terry Albright Addison, brother, Dennis Albright. Granddaughters, Sarah Ridgley Kowalski (Brian), Lauren Ridgley (Ryan Pitz), Danny Bradley, and Nicole Bradley. She had four great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Laura is interred with Bill at Willamette National Cemetery. There will be a memorial service to celebrate her long life with friends and family July 29th at home of Patricia and Randall Ridgley, 1079 N Alder Street, Canby Oregon.

Obituary reprinted with permission by Laura’s family and posted at Sunnyside Funeral, Cremation & Memorial Gardens.

Memorial held at the Portland Center for Spiritual Living on Saturday, November 2nd, 2019 at 2:00 PM.

Al was born in Dayton, Ohio, but always considered Oregon home. He attended St. James School in Hagerstown, MD, graduated from Johns Hopkins University, and was an Army Officer before becoming a CPA. He practiced primarily in Hawaii and Southern California, before retiring to his home in Orange, CA. A few months ago, after spending the winter in Hawaii, he and Donna moved into their new home in Vancouver, Washington.

Al unexpectedly passed away of a heart attack. Donna, his wife and love of his life was with him holding his hand. A few weeks earlier he had been diagnosed with stage IV cancer after only a few weeks of feeling ill. He will be sorely missed.

He is survived by this loving wife, Donna, and his two children, Surely and Albert, his sister Joan, and  Donna’s many grandchildren who call him grandpa.

You can listen to the one-hour celebration of life service (including personal sharing by his wife, sister and other family members and friends) online here. The audio contains original music by LaRhonda Steele and performed by LaRhonda Steele and  Ken Brewer.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to “In Honor of Albert Wallace,” to the Pacific Crest Trail Association, 1331 Garden Highway, Sacramento, CA 95633.

Al, or Stargazer, was a solo through hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2015. Obviously in great health, he completed all 2650 miles of the trail from the Mexico to Canada. At the onset, he said he wanted to hike the trail to look at the stars and the milky way every night. Donna supported him throughout the months it took to complete his journey, as did many of his friends and family. He wrote a book about his experiences, that we hope to someday publish. Here is an excerpt:

“I sat under the tamarack trees and was drenched in the warm glow of the setting sun. It was the perfect spot, the grand paradise experience, and a moment in my life that for the first time I felt at peace with the world and myself exactly as it was becoming. I was imbedded in the fabric of the universe and it was imbedded in me. It was the moment of my acceptance of the interconnectedness of all cosmic forms and their timelessness.” —Albert Louis Wallace

Memorial held at the Portland Center for Spiritual Living on Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 12:30 PM.

Ken’s hometown was Phoenix, AZ, where he went to high school at Paradise Valley High School.  He graduated from Arizona State University in 1981 with a degree in economics and management and then went on to graduate from Palmer College of Chiropractic West in San Jose, CA with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree.

Ken underwent Practitioner training under the direction of Rev Michael Beckwith at Agape, in Los Angeles California and was licensed in 1999. Additionally, he has been a certified facilitator in the self-esteem workshops of Jack Canfield.

Ken was a health coach and enjoyed empowering people to a richer, active life.  He considered himself to be a connector and enjoyed networking to bring people together for common causes.  He was a leader and enjoy bringing teams together to accomplish great things.

Ken had been a manager at GNC until a few months prior to his transition.

Ken was one of the licensed practitioners here at PCSL and came to us from Boise, ID in 2015.  Ken was a very compassionate person, leading the hospital visitation ministry for the center.

In September, 2018, the center’s practitioners had a day retreat.  Afterwards, Ken emailed us that he took some risks during the retreat in revealing more of who he was and said that there was a part of him that didn’t need to hide anymore.

Ken was one of the administrators for a Facebook Group called Poetry Lovers Sanctuary.  Ken loved poetry and wrote some beautiful poems, one of which was recently published.  Here is the poem Ken wrote and posted 4 days before his transition:

Then one day life opens up
Tentatively, feet first you emerge
from the womb, chrysalis
Wings fully orbed in splendor
Recognizing the inner mysteries
The magic of flight
Knowing the call to mate
and die this same time tomorrow

Memorial held at the Portland Center for Spiritual Living on Saturday, May 12th, 2018 at 1:00 PM.

You can listen to the one-hour memorial (including personal sharing) online here. The audio contains the song “There is Only Love,” used with permission by Rev. Michael Gott and performed by LaRhonda Steele.

In ministerial school they tell us (new ministers) not to make very many changes when we join a new church. People, we are told, do not like things to change.

When Rev. Lynn Johnson came to be our Senior Minister at the “Portland Church of Religious Science” in 2002, she changed everything.

She changed the seating in the sanctuary. She changed the social hall. She changed the music, the stage layout and various “sacred” pieces of artwork in the little church we had in Parkrose. Most ministers would have been dismissed summarily for all the changes—and there were a few people at the time who might have bought her a plane ticket back to Santa Rosa.

But only a few people. You see, Rev. Lynn made even more changes on the “inside” than she did on the “outside.”

She brought us back to the core principles of Science of Mind. She brought us the tools of Visioning and Forgiveness in ways that we had forgotten. She brought us the challenge to be our true and authentic selves and to do more than just “listen on Sunday.” She challenged us to live the principles of Science of Mind—not just to read about them.

It’s with a very heavy heart that I write about her passing. Her 78 years on this planet were filled with the many ups and downs of a life well lived. She was not unusual in that way. Where Lynn really stood out were her 23 years in ministry as a Licensed Practitioner and Minister.

Lynn was an extraordinary teacher and truth-teller. Sometimes challenging, always compassionate, she knew just how to explain God’s potential to work through all of us. She was a gifted counselor, a steadfast friend and a tireless minister to the people around her.

In 1995, when she was taking the Practitioner II class in Santa Rosa, she was instructed to write out her own memorial service. I would like to excerpt from it here:

“And so today, we celebrate two aspects of the One life—the releasing of our friend, Lynn, from her human space suit, with all of its joys, sorrows, lessons, accomplishments, dramas, quiet reflections, emotions and history, and our own embracing of life as it relates to a new awareness of being connected with Lynn for all eternity through our shared consciousness as spiritual beings.

“Death is truly the ultimate illusion—for Life does not die; it simply changes form. We honor the change Lynn has made in her life process, and we acknowledge our own sorrow and feelings of sadness knowing that we shall miss her physical presence.”

I will always remember the many gifts of herself that Rev. Lynn Johnson gave to the world. I know she is always with those of us she touched so profoundly.

Rev. Larry King

Funeral services held at the Sandy Funeral Home on Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at 10:30 AM.

Shirley Jean (Walters) Lawson of Gresham, Oregon was born in Portland, Oregon to Dick and Marie Walters. She was married to William Lawson for 62 years, her death falling just one day shy of their anniversary.

As a resident of Sandy, Oregon, Shirley was active with Cub Scouts, Silver Threads and the Sandy Profile. She was a founding member of The Sandy Community Players, which still operates today, 40 years later, as the Sandy Actor’s Theater. Upon moving to Gresham, Oregon, Shirley and Bill were members of the Gresham Little Theater where they performed in numerous plays and musicals. Shirley was also active with the Church of Religious Science in Portland, OR.

Shirley died on June 18 in her 83rd year at Regency Gresham of cancer-related causes. In the days leading up to her passing, she was surrounded by the love, laughter and tears of her family. She is survived by her husband, William Lawson of Gresham, daughter Sheryl Jackson and son in-law Alan Jackson of Gresham, son Rick Lawson and daughter in-law Karen Lawson of Tigard, and son Robert Lawson of Seattle, as well as grandchildren David Fuhrer, Stephanie Fuhrer, Eric Fuhrer, Corina Todea, Christian Lawson, Kevin McAllister and Nicole McAllister, and great-grandchildren Ben Jones, Matthew Stiles and Cadence Stiles.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Cannabis for the Cure.