Oka "Lavon" Fuller, age 86, died at Willamette Valley Medical Center due to complications from a severe stroke suffered on November 19, 2011.

Lavon, nicknamed "Vonnie" in childhood, was born on January 14, 1925 in Hoopeston, Illinois and resided there until moving to Indiana at age nine. She was the youngest of ten children, born to Lydia Rogers and Edward Karrick who haled from Kentucky and preceded her in death.

She graduated high school from Liberty Center, Indiana and was married to Kenneth Leon Gerwig from 1946 – 1950 giving birth to her eldest children, Diana Pickering and Gary Gerwig.

In 1947 she moved out west to Oregon dwelling in Carlton until 1950 when she moved to McMinnville. On June 13, 1959 she married Verlin Manley Fuller in Yamhill County.

Lavon especially enjoyed celebrations of milestone anniversaries shared with family and friends. Valerie Kendrick and Vicki Esser were offspring from their union together. In 1974 their family moved to Roseburg and resided there until moving back to McMinnville in 1986.

From 1959 – 1962 she worked in the Carlton Glove Factory but she found her true passion by becoming an Avon Representative beginning in 1975. During her more than 20 years in this profession, Lavon earned repeated Avon Presidential awards and had many successes. However her greatest love was the connection with people that this job afforded. In this role of individualized connection, customers warmly responded to her and she was drawn out from her otherwise quiet demeanor.

Lavon was known as a Godly woman who expressed her caring by acts of service to others, was a wonderful cook, was intensely diligent in her housekeeping and home management abilities, and was deeply devoted to her family. She enjoyed traveling, reading, finding a bargain, and attending as many church functions as possible. She leaves a legacy of commitment, devotion, faithfulness and hard work.

Her biological legacy includes nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. She will be greatly missed.