Colleen Jeanne Mickelson Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Colleen was born in Cleveland, Ohio the oldest of three children born to Robert Victor Stark and Leona Iris Rudolf Stark were she spent summers at their cabin in Lake Erie eventually working as a lifeguard. She excelled in high school receiving numerous academic awards and upon graduating was accepted into Mt. Sinia School of Nursing. After receiving her degree she pursued a career in nursing in the Veteran's Hospital where she was often head nurse.She married Clyde Hartz and moved to Geneva on the Lake, Ohio where they had three sons and one daughter. They separated ways in 1954 and Colleen returned to Cleveland with her children. In 1958 she gathered her family and moved to a small mining town of Bagdad, Arizona working at the local hospital. It was courageous for her to travel across the country alone in a station wagon with four little ones. Colleen was a capable and efficient woman. One summer she packed up her four children arriving ar church camp where she served as camp nurse, lifeguard and chapel pianist. After a few years she moved to Prescott, Arizona and worked at Whipple Veteran’s Hospital. In 1962 she married Garth Mickelson and two years later they moved to West Linn, Oregon. Colleen fell in love with Oregon and never desired to live anywhere else. She was employed at Portland Veteran’s Hospital until her retirement in 1985. Garth passed away in 1974 and Colleen moved to her home on Linden Lane in Milwaukie, Oregon where she generously opened her home to her mother and sister for various lengths of time. She also had thereof her grandchildren living with her for four years. During her retirement she spent many hours volunteering – thing life transporting friends to doctor appointments, treating and dressing wounds, baking cookies and just being there for others. After selling her home she moved to Homewoods on the River Retirements Center where she spent many fulfilling years receiving the “Volunteer of the Year” award in 2013. She was a member of New Life Church where she served as deaconess and sang in the choir. Colleen loved her church and she loved to serve Jesus. With her beautiful smile and kind words she never shied from witnessing to strangers. She was wise and full of God’s grace. She enjoyed gardening and traveling having gone to the Holy Lands in 1998 and to Italy on a church mission trip. In 2016 she moved to Baker City, Oregon to be near her son. She will be sorely missed by her friends and family. Colleen is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Garry and Carolyn Hartz of Rock Creek, Oregon and Darrell and Kathy Mickelson of Tillamook, Oregon and Maggie Mickelson of Libby, Missouri and also ten grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Clyde, Children: Robin and Barry and two grandchildren. To send a flower arrangement or to plant trees in memory of Colleen Jeanne Mickelson, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.

Tributes

Colleen Jeanne Mickelson

May 8, 1925 - November 19, 2018