Esther Bailey Amundson

ESTHER BAILEY AMUNDSON Esther Bailey Amundson (95) passed away peacefully at Long Beach Memorial Hospital Tuesday, September 21, 2004. Esther was born in River Falls, Wisconsin January 27, 1909 to Homer Bailey and Lillian Batten Bailey. After graduating from River Falls State Teachers College in 1929, she taught at Maiden Rock High School until 1933. She married Carl Amundson, May 31, 1932. After Wo rld War II the family settled in Long Beach, when Dr. Amundson accepted a position as Professor of Education at Long Beach State College. He continued in this position until his premature death on October 22, 1958. In 1956 when her husband Carl began his battle with the cancer that eventually took his life, Ester re-entered the teaching profession in order to support her two children and herself. She retired in 1974 after a rewarding career as a fourth grade teacher at Oliver Wendell Holmes Elementary Schoo l in Long Beach. Esther maintained her home on Charlemagne until she was 94. In April of 2003 she moved to a nearby residential care facility, Legacy Manor. When asked in 1995 to write down the activities that had given her life meaning and purpose she wrote, "The adoption of her two children, being a helper to her husband, a teacher and a friend." As witness to these roles, she was visited by over 50 friends in February to celebrate her 95th birthday at a luncheon hosted by Legacy Manor. Esther is survived by her daughter, Kristin Amundson of McKinnleyville, CA; her son, John Amundson and his wife, Lorna of Oxnard; her step-daughter, Kathryn Nakaki and family of Los Angeles; and many nieces and nephews in Louisiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Although she out lived all of her brothers, sister and girlhood friends, she will be fondly remembered by many teaching associates, former students, neighbors and friends. As one of the founding members of her church, she treasured the support and kindness of Pastor St ephen Boyd and the parishioners of the Los Altos United Church of Christ. A simple memorial service is tentatively scheduled for October. It was her wish that she be remembered in gifts to the Los Altos United Church of Long Beach in lieu of flowers.