Ellen Jean Pullen

1926 – 2024

Longtime Lake Oswego resident Ellen Pullen passed away peacefully in June at age 97 after a brief battle with cancer. Ellen (Pidgeon) was born in Bisbee, AZ where her father Grover was an engineer for a large copper mine. Her mother Nellie (Gleeson) Pidgeon was the daughter of Irish immigrants who started a mine in Gleeson, a town near Bisbee named for Ellen’s grandfather John Gleeson.

Ellen was the fourth of five children and was her family’s last surviving child. Books were an early and lifelong source of joy. Another early and lifetime love was music. After graduating from Bisbee High School in 1944, Ellen studied piano at the University of Arizona. After her freshman year, she left university to attend a one-year secretarial course in Washington, D.C.

She next worked as a secretary at a bank in Phoenix before returning to Bisbee to support her family while her mother succumbed to tuberculosis. She then worked in Phoenix for Arizona Tax Research and later for Stanford Research Institute (SRI).

As a single woman she enjoyed driving one of the only red convertible MG TD sports cars in Arizona which she bought for $700.

Around 1956 she moved to Menlo Park, CA, to again work for SRI. Around this time she was invited to dinner by Jack Pullen, an old family friend from Bisbee who she had also been her boss. Jack surprised her by bringing his son John, since it was John’s birthday. John was then a second mate in the US Merchant Marine, sailing cargo ships to Asia. A courtship began, followed by a small wedding in January 1957.

After Ellen became pregnant, the couple moved to San Mateo, a suburb 20 miles south of San Francisco. Their three children were born and raised in San Mateo. Michael was followed by Elizabeth and Bonnie.

Ellen supported the family as a homemaker. When Bonnie entered 4th grade, Ellen returned to part-time secretarial work.

In 1983 John was transferred to Portland. They began a new life in Lake Oswego, OR. Ellen made friends in her Mountain Park neighborhood, where she was the longtime secretary of her homeowners’ association. For a decade she worked as a licensed tax preparer, often volunteering for low-income clients. She volunteered for the Oregon Symphony and Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church. In recent years she attended St. Clare Parish church.

As an older adult Ellen took many classes at Portland Community College and travelled the globe. Perhaps because she grew up in the desert, she loved visiting arid and barren landscapes. Among her favorite destinations were Morocco, Siberia, Iceland and Greenland.

After her husband John passed away Ellen became one of the first residents of The Springs retirement community in Lake Oswego. She made new friends there and helped organize a residents’ chorus, book club, wine club and opera presentations.

She lived a largely healthy and happy life, enriched by close relationships with old and new friends, and family. She loved a good story, a well-prepared scallop, roasted beets and a Negroni. She is survived by her three children, her daughter-in-law Saundra Stevens; grandson Evan Wark; and 10 nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Portland State University’s Higher Education in Prison program or the Oregon Symphony.