Carol D Gillen

Family Statement

Carol was born at home in Pawnee, Oklahoma to Opal and Ellis Speakman on Christmas Day in

1939. After the Dust Bowl years, she and her family moved to Castle Rock, Washington in 1947

where she grew up and met her future husband, Paul Gillen. After high school she attended

Beauty School in Portland, Oregon and then moved to Toledo, Oregon in 1959 where she spent

the rest of her life.

Carol and Paul married in 1960 and celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in 2025. She was

a beloved and devoted wife and mother, choosing to be a stay-at-home mom raising four children

and many foster children through the years. Her home was open to all who came, whether for a

short visit or several days or even weeks. She loved to give haircuts to anyone who wanted one

and gave hundreds over the years. Besides being an excellent gourmet cook, she had many

creative talents including oil painting, ceramics, knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing,

needlepoint, and gardening.

Carol and Paul were lifelong members of Toledo First Baptist Church where she taught

children's Sunday School for several decades, loved to sing in the choir, helped prepare meals for

various gatherings, and actively participated in all church meetings and functions. She was a

woman of strong faith and was a living example of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31.

As was her desire, Carol passed away peacefully at home on January 13, 2026, surrounded by

family and friends. Hers was a life well-lived in service to others.