Josephine Arlene Hakala

Josephine Arlene Hakala, age 92, was born June 25, 1923 in Grants Pass to William Thomas Clark & Arline Luella Clark. Her parents moved from Eastern Oregon to Grants Pass after the Great Depression to start a new life. Jo attended First Baptist Church and was ten years old when she was baptized.

The family then moved to Selma and lived at Fort Hay Ranch where her father was ranch foreman. Jo had many happy memories of playing in the barns and riding her horse and learned to drive a car there.

When Jo was a young teen, the family moved to Central Point where she attended high school. For many years her high school co-eds maintained a group known as “The Pointers”; they got together twice a year for potluck socials. As a teenager, Jo worked for Harry & David, then Kyle’s Caf.

When World War II broke out, she and her life-long friend, Naomi, went to welding school in Portland and worked in the shipyards as “Rosie Rivetors” building war ships. They always were put in the tunnels and small spaces to weld because they were so little. After the war, Jo returned to Central Point and with her earnings, she was able to buy a small parcel of land. Jo again worked at Kyle’s Caf where she met a handsome Navy Corpsman named Charles Hakala. Chuck and Jo were married three weeks after they met and together they finished building a little house on Jo’s property.

Jo loved the Navy life; she and the kids lived everywhere Chuck was stationed including, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where Jo worked at the Base Exchange; Chicago, Illinois; Fort Carson, Colorado; Kodiak, Alaska where Jo worked at the Polar Bear Caf and Phoenix, Arizona where she taught Sunday school at West High Baptist Church.

After 20 years of service, Chuck retired from the Navy and the family moved to Beaverton and then Tillamook before eventually settling in Grants Pass. Once all the children had left the nest, Chuck and Jo bought and developed a piece of property on Greens Creek Road and in their retirement moved to Rogue River. Many years after Chuck’s death, Jo moved to Morrow Heights Assisted Living in Rogue River where she made many more friends and attended Suzuki’s bible class on Sunday mornings.

Jo enjoyed sewing clothes, gardening and canning vegetables, was an excellent cook and especially loved flowers.

Jo attended Rogue Valley Community Church.

Survivors include a son, Robert Charles Hakala (Ines); and two daughters, Sherry Watson (Jerry) and Julie Marthaller (Tom); grandchildren, Clark Hakala (Jaime), Todd Watson (Jamie), Joe Gilliland (Terri), Robert Watson (Jolene), Robin Park (Norman), Jason Marthaller and Jodi Hall; and many great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles; two daughters, Charlene Hakala and Karen Wicorek; parents, William and Arline Clark; and all her siblings.

On December 10, 2015 Jo passed away to wait on the Lord’s 2nd coming and then to claim his promise of salvation for his believers.

We will remember her sense of humor, spunky style, beautiful smile and love she had for family and friends.

Donations may be made in her name to the Gospel Rescue Mission, PO Box 190, Grants Pass, Oregon 97528 would be appreciated, but are not expected.

Services have been held with interment at Hawthorne Memorial Gardens.