Florence Ermina Pullen of Kent, Washington died Friday night, November 1, 2019, at Multicare Auburn Medical Center in Auburn, Washington. A memorial service will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 28616 48th Ave. South in Auburn, Washington on Saturday, November 9, 2019. A viewing will be held at 11:00am with the main service at 12:00 noon. There will be a graveside service in Lostine, Oregon at 11:00 Monday, November 11, 2019 where she will be interred next to her husband.

Florence Pullen was born on January 4, 1916 in Chester Idaho, the third of eight children born to Charles and Grace Burt. She had to leave home at the age of 14 as there was no high school in Fruitvale, Idaho where she lived. She stayed with an aunt in Pocatello, Idaho where she attended high school and received her teaching degree from the University of Idaho. For her entire life she remembered and felt how homesick she was during those years away from her family.

After graduation, she taught school in Montour, Idaho where she met and married Elmer (Shorty) Pullen who had moved there from Bayard, Nebraska. She had to hide her marriage in order to continue teaching. When she became pregnant, her teaching career was over, as dictated by school regulations.

Florence and shorty moved to Brownlee, Idaho where they dry farmed with teas of horses. They raised four of their five children there through hard work and essentially “living off the land.” They raised beef, pork and lots of chickens. They had a string of cows and sold the milk and cream. Florence raised beautiful gardens and canned all the vegetables until the cellar was full. Neighbors were several miles away and the children walked four miles to school, or rode a horse.

In the winter of 1948, Shorty and Florence and their four kids moved to Wallowa, Oregon where he worked at the sawmill. It was there that their fifth child was born. All five of their children graduated from Wallowa High School and went on to various careers. Florence was very involved in the raising of their children and participating in the activities of her church. She was an excellent seamstress, cook and still raised large gardens and canned the food. After the children left home, Florence worked until retirement age as a nurse’s aide at the hospital in Enterprise, Oregon. At this time, Shorty was working for the Wolfe Hereford Ranch as the sawmill had closed down after a strike by the workers. He later worked as a custodian at the school in Wallowa. Florence enjoyed doing jazzercise, crafts, flower gardening, playing the organ and painting. She was the chorister for her church for many years and held many other callings. Florence’s family and faith meant more to her than anything in the world and she was always devoted to them.

Soon after her husband’s death in 1997, Florence moved to Seattle, Washington where her daughters lived. She lived alone until she was 94 and then with her daughters for the rest of her life. For the last 10 years, she enjoyed riding the access bus and attending Eldercare Activities five days a week. She was still eager to go out to dinner and enjoy activities with her family, even at 103. She always felt she needed to be productive and to be making a contribution. Florence was preceded in death by her husband and all seven of her brothers and sisters. She is survived by her five children, Patricia Soroe, William Pullen, Maynard Pullen, Barbara Brunner and Pamela May, 18 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, 24 great-great grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild.