Elizabeth A. Boule

Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Boule, 85, passed away January 21, 2010, in Cathlamet.

She was born November 28, 1924 in Walla Walla to John and Abbie (Loos) Hanson and raised on a farm near Milton Freewater. She graduated from McLoughlin High School and attended Whitman College. She married Paul Boule in 1945 in Walla Walla; he preceded her in death in 1954.

Betty worked for the local phone company and later Sherwood and Roberts Insurance office. She was a person of varied interests, was an avid reader and had enormous curiosity. After her children left home, she indulged her curiosity with trips to the Wallowas, the John Day Fossil Beds and the ocean. She was a devout Catholic and had a keen and active mind. She loved spending time with her grandchildren.

She moved to Cathlamet in 1995 and found new places to explore. She particularly liked the Federal Game Refuge nearby and was interested in area wildlife.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Cathy and Roy LaBerge of Cathlamet; a sister and brother-in-law, Jean and John Harcharick of Concord, Calif .; 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. In addition to her husband Paul, she was preceded in death by a son, John Boule in 2009; her sisters, Abbie Joan Sherman and Ida May Collins and a grandson, Matthew Turgeon in 2005. Her family would like to acknowledge Pat and Frank Schubert and the staff at Columbia View Care Center for providing gentle care and comfort during her last years.

A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Walla Walla. Burial will follow at Mountain View Cemetery.

Dowling Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.