Lee McConnel

Lee McConnel, strong woman, wife, mother and grandmother died at her residence at Mary’s Woods at age 78.  Lee was born in Horton, Kansas, and grew up in the California Bay Area with her brother, Lon.  Her father was a realtor and mother was a home economics teacher.

Lee attended Whitman College where she met and later married Steve McConnel. They were married for a lifetime.  After graduation, she worked for 11 years at the US Veterans’ Administration as a claims examiner and supervisor before retiring and having three children, Ellen (deceased), Matthew, Kendall (Mahn) and Caitlin (Hemphill).  While raising them, she was actively involved in their classrooms and as a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader.  Her wry sense of humor kept things amusing around the house.

Lee was active in planning and supervising the building of her homes both in Newberg and Wilsonville and loved her gardens, stocked with many different rhododendrons.  Her intellectual curiosity was constantly in play and she stimulated the family into reading and considering a wide ranging variety of subjects.  She was a great fan of the arts, art literacy and volunteered on the Department of Justice Consumer Hot Line for over 10 years.  For many years she was an active quilter and the family has a number of reminders of her love and skill.  She also loved her pets, from cats and rabbits to a variety dogs who provided amusement and comfort throughout the years.

She will be missed by her friends and family previously mentioned, along with her six grandchildren.

Services are private.  Memorials can be sent to Wilsonville Public Library Foundation, Oregon Humane Society, or The Portland Japanese Garden.

Arrangements in care of Riverview Abbey Funeral Home.  To write a note of condolence for family please visit www.riverviewabbey.com

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