Florence Ermina Burt Pullen of Kent, Washington died Friday, November 1, 2019 at Multicare Medical Center, Auburn, Washington. Services were held November 9 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Auburn, Washington. Mrs. Pullen was interred November 11 next to her husband of 59 years, Elmer Stephen Pullen, in Lostine, Oregon.
Mrs. Pullen was born January 4, 1916 in Chester, Idaho, the third of eight children born to Charles and Grace Burt. She had to leave home at 14 as there was no high school in Fruitvale, Idaho where they lived. She stayed with an aunt in Pocatello, Idaho to attend high school and college and received her teaching degree from the University of Idaho.
After graduation she taught school in Montour, Idaho. There she met and married Elmer (Shorty) Pullen who had moved there from Bayard, Nebraska. When she became pregnant, she had to give up teaching because of regulations at that time.
Their first child was born there and shortly after, they moved to Brownlee, Idaho where they dry farmed with teams of horses. They reared four children there through hard work and “living off the land.” They raised and butchered beef, pork and chickens and had a string of cows and sold their milk and cream. They also raised wheat and alfalfa to sell and to feed their livestock.
In 1948, they moved to Wallowa, Oregon where Mr. Pullen worked at the sawmill. It was here that their fifth child was born. Mrs. Pullen was very involved in rearing their children and in her church and was always devoted to them. She was an excellent seamstress and cook and grew large gardens and canned. After the children left home, she worked as a nurse’s aide at the nursing home in Enterprise, Oregon. At this time Mr. Pullen was working for the Wolfe Hereford ranch. Years later he worked as a custodian at the school in Wallowa, Oregon and they purchased their home in Lostine, Oregon. Mrs. Pullen enjoyed sewing, jazzercize, crafts, gardening, playing the organ and painting. She was chorister for her church for many years and held other positions. Her family and faith meant more to her than anything in the world.
Three years after her husband passed in 1997, Mrs. Pullen moved to Auburn, Washington where her daughters lived. She lived alone until she was 94 and then with her daughters. For the last 10 years, she enjoyed riding the Access bus to attend Eldercare five days a week. She loved going out with her family and always felt she needed to be productive and make a contribution, even at 103.
Mrs. Pullen is preceded in death by her husband and all of her brothers and sisters. She is survived by her children, Patricia Soroe of Kent, Washington; William Pullen of Auburn, Washington; Maynard Pullen of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Barbara Brunner of Bonney Lake, Washington; and Pamela May of Auburn, Washington. She is also survived by 18 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, 24 great-great-grandchildren, and one great-great-great-grandchild.
She was a wonderful mother, wife and friend. She is deeply loved and missed by all of her family and friends.
