Georgian Lydia Overen

June 1, 1929 – October 26, 2020

Georgian Lydia Overen passed away peacefully on Oct. 26, 2020 at Highgate Senior Living in Wenatchee, Washington, after a long illness.

Georgian was born on June 1, 1929 in Wenatchee, Washington, to George and Lydia Petrak of Quincy, Washington. She grew up in Quincy and graduated from Quincy High School in 1947. She went on to attend Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, for one year as part of their secretarial training program. Georgian loved the year she spent at CWU and formed many friendships that lasted throughout her life.

Upon graduation, “Georgie” came back to the Quincy area and worked at several local businesses, including the bank and title office. In the mid-1950s, she and two close friends embarked on an adventure and moved to Riverside in Southern California, where she worked as a secretary at an aerospace manufacturing company. Georgie shared many stories about her experiences moving from a small town to living in a larger city – although sometimes overwhelming, she truly enjoyed her time in California.

Upon moving back to Quincy in the late 1950s, Georgie worked as a legal secretary, and reconnected with a lifelong friend, Clarence Overen, whose family had homesteaded land north of Quincy in the early 1900s. Georgian and Clarence married on Oct. 24, 1959, and took a memorable cross-country road trip for their honeymoon. The highlight of the trip was a stop in New Orleans, Louisiana,, a place which Georgian had always loved and dreamed of going to. The newlyweds visited all the well-known landmarks there, including having breakfast at Brennan’s, beignets at Cafe Du Monde and dinner at Antoine’s. The time the couple spent in New Orleans created an amazing experience, and Georgian and Clarence gathered wonderful memories which lasted a lifetime for them both.

Georgie embraced life on the farm, and soon took over much of the business management and accounting duties. In addition, once her daughters were born, she became very involved in volunteering at the local schools, as well as becoming a 4-H leader for several years. She was extremely involved in The United Church of Christ, and served for many years as church secretary, as well as teaching weekly Sunday school and vacation Bible school during the summers. Georgie’s volunteerism continued in a variety of ways in her later years: the local blood drives, the 4-H booth at the county fair and the Quincy historical society. Georgian and Clarence purchased and donated a building to the local Habitat for Humanity for use as a thrift store which is still serving the community today. Georgie was an accomplished seamstress, having built on her sewing skills to have made most of her own clothes as well as those for her mother, husband and children. She loved helping at the Habitat store, repairing donated clothes and making doll clothes for resale. Her love of travel and exploring took her and her family to visit many wonderful places throughout the Washington and Oregon area, especially the coastal towns of Port Townsend, Washington and Lincoln City and Seaside, Oregon.

After living many years in Quincy, Georgian moved to Highgate Senior Living in Wenatchee, Washington, due to concerns with her health. She made new friends and became a beloved resident to many of the staff members. Georgie continued to share her sense of humor, caring nature and endearing personality with others during her stay at Highgate. She created many wonderful memories for the staff and residents and will be a dearly missed presence among them.

Her greatest joy was her family, and she doted on her daughters and grandchildren. Georgian is survived by daughters Debra (Doug) Van Velkinburgh of Portland, Oregon and Marina Overen of Cheney, Washington; granddaughter Katelyn of Corvallis, Oregon, and Kyle of Portland. She was preceded in death by her parents Lydia and George, brother Herbert and husband Clarence. We were honored to have Georgie as our mother, and we will miss her kindness, wisdom and humor terribly for the rest of our lives.

A private family service will be held at a later date.

Please address all sympathy cards to: The Family of Georgian Overen, P.O. Box 545, Quincy, WA 98848-0545. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Union Gospel Mission of Spokane, Washington or the Habitat for Humanity of Quincy, Washington.

Please a memory for the family or sign their online guestbook at www.scharbachs.com.