Annabelle Birkestol
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It is with love and sadness that wesay farewell to Annabelle Birkestol as she goes on to be with her HeavenlyFather. Annabelle was born in 1923 to her Norwegian immigrant parents,Ole and Ingeborg Birkestol, in their homestead along the StillaguamishRiver between Stanwood and Silvana. Along with her sister Grace, who wasone year younger, she loved her life on the dairy farm. She graduatedfrom Stanwood High School where she enjoyed playing and earning her letter involleyball. After loosing her father to illness as a young child hermother continued to run the dairy farm which enabled Annabelle and Grace to goon to college at Pacific Lutheran Academy, now known as Pacific LutheranUniversity.
they began their college life in thefall of 1942 and tell of how the campus emptied out of most of the malestudents after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Earning their degrees ineducation they each had a full life of teaching, with Annabelleretiring after 30 years most of which were spent at Conway Elementary teaching4th grade. She is remembered fondly by many of her students and whendriving through the Skagit Valley she would tell stories of the student wholived here and here and here and what they ended up doing. Afterretirement she returned to the family farm where she and Grace cared for theirmother and enjoyed their retirement years. In 2012 they moved to assistedliving in the The Suites at Josephine Caring Community where she enjoyedactivities and often read the Scriptures in the services and enjoyed worshipingwith many friends at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church across the street.
She and Grace enjoyedtraveling to the Holy Lands and to Norway where they met with relatives thereand with whom they have corresponded for yearsundefinedin Norwegian. They alsotravelled to many places around the USA attending conferences of the women ofthe Lutheran Church.
Admired and respected by everyone,Annabelle was a life long member of Zion Lutheran Church in Silvana (now knownas The Little White Church On The Hill) which became Peace Lutheran Church inSilvana. She was active in Sons of Norway, the Stanwood HistoricalSociety, and the Association of University Women. For years she was alsothe contact person for her graduating class at PLA (PLU).
Services are being planned at thegraveside and at Our Saviours Lutheran Church as current restrictions willallow. Memorials may be sent to Josephine Caring Community in Stanwood orto Hospice of The Northwest in Mount Vernon.