Charlene Green Olson - LHS Class of 1957

Former Corvallis, Oregon resident Charlene Ellen Green passed away Aug. 24, 2014, in Redmond.
Charlene was born in Leavenworth, Kansas, the eldest of four daughters born to the Rev. and Mrs. George Green. Graduating from school in Kansas, she worked for the Department of the Army at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Veterans Administration at Wadsworth, Kansas.
In 1957, she married Phillip Paschke; they had three children before moving to Corvallis in 1966.  While in Corvallis, Charlene worked for the Department of the Army at Camp Adair and for the Environmental Protection Agency in Corvallis. In 1972, she went to work in advertising sales.  Although Charlene and Phil divorced in 1982, they remained good friends.
In 1983, Charlene married Lawrence Olson and they moved to Portland. Charlene was a successful businesswoman, winning awards in the advertising business before finding her true love, working in assisted living. She retired from that career in 2004 to work in her daughter’s ad agency. She enjoyed these careers but was happiest helping her family, and enjoying her children and grandchildren.
She became a caregiver for her mother, her father and her sister. She was a caregiver at heart and regularly took on jobs helping others.
Charlene enjoyed all kinds of music and loved to dance. She wrote poetry and was published. Charlene had an indomitable spirit and a contagious sense of humor that entertained her friends. She loved fun and laughter. Her cup always was half full and her life was an example of unconditional love. She loved to cook, and cooking was one of the ways she expressed her love for her friends and family.
She had a fondness and love for all animals, and regularly would take care of others’ pets.   In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to SafeHaven Animal Shelter, 32220 Old Highway 34, Tangent, OR 97389.
Charlene was preceded in death by her companion and soulmate, Lawrence Olson. She is survived by her children, Rebecca McDonough (husband Michael), Phillip Paschke (wife Lorraine) and David Paschke (wife Kim); grandchildren, Erin and Lauren Paschke of Bend, Charlie and Chelsea Paschke of Albany, and Andy and Laney McDonough of Powell Butte; and sisters, Sondra Visser (LHS Class of 1963) and Nancy Oertel (LHS Class of 1965), both of Kansas.
A memorial celebration will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave. in Corvallis.