Verone Hilja Kaul

Verone Kaul was born Sept. 12, 1935, to Raymond and Julia Niemi.

She grew up in Seaside, loving the ocean and seashore, where many days were spent jumping the waves and playing with her two sisters.

She graduated from Seaside High School in 1953.

In 1954, she married Walter McBride, and they had a daughter, Janine.  They later divorced and she moved to Portland, living in the Sellwood neighborhood.

She worked in downtown Portland at Richmond Brothers men’s clothing store for six years as a bookkeeper and secretary.  During that time, she was introduced to Ervin Kaul, and they married in 1963 and moved to Astoria, and had two sons, Jeff and Michael Kaul.

They raised Janine, Jeff and Mike in the Lewis and Clark area, where she was a stay-at-home mom until her husband, Erv, died of cancer at age 40.  She then went to work for a local furniture store (Stuart’s) where she was a cashier and secretary.

Later she went to work for an ophthalmologist, Dr. John Banholzer, as a medical receptionist for many years until her retirement.

After her retirement, she volunteered for the Astoria School District, working in the classroom with students and involved in the Start Making A Reader Today program.

Her grandchildren were a great source of happiness to her, and she was very involved in their lives. She supported them in all of their sporting events, cheering them on.

She was a true friend, and gave of herself in her quiet ways to others. She was an avid reader, and continued to love her trips to the Cove in Seaside, where she would watch the surf, relax, read and nibble on her favorite treats from Phillips Candy Kitchen.

She had a deep faith in God, and it was a great source of comfort to her through her life.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Julia Niemi; a sister, Eleanor Niemi Cary; and her husband, Ervin Kaul.

She is survived by her three children, Janine (Ken) Nelson, Jeff (Debbie) Kaul and Michael (Carrie) Kaul; six grandchildren, Kaylene Herman, Juliann Koehnke, Christina Tucker, Brian Kaul, Calvin Kaul and Bailey Kaul; five great-grandchildren, Danica and Korben Herman, Harley and Gunner Koehnke and Marley Tucker; and a sister, Arlene Niemi.

A very special note of thanks to Soosaiappu and Juesta Croos and family at St. Anne’s Adult Foster Home for their loving, compassionate care for our dear mother.

A Funeral will be held 1 p.m. Friday at Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary, 1165 Franklin Ave., with a graveside service to follow at Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton.