Esther Loewen

Esther Loewen was in her apartment at the Bonaventure of Tigard when the Lord took her for eternal peace on November 29, 2020 at 5:25pm. Esther was the 5th of 10 children born to Conrad & Minnie Hart at Selfridge, North Dakota on June 10, 1925.  She moved to Oregon from North Dakota at age 13 and lived in the Salem area for nearly the rest of her life.  The last 2 years she has resided at the Bonaventure of Tigard.   Her ambition during her growing up years kept her busy in the summer harvesting fruit and vegetables doing what she could to assist her family in maintaining a comfortable living.  Her High School years were a joy for her as she met the need of obtaining an education to build a career for her life and graduated from North Salem High School in 1943.  She married the love of her life Dave Loewen, U.S, Navy on March 29, 1944, who was fulfilling his duty during World War II serving on the aircraft carrier, USS Nehenta Bay, which kept him on the seas until his discharge in 1945.  It was difficult for Esther to find a job those days but she was fortunate when First National Bank of Oregon hired her on February 1, 1944, which became her lifetime banking career.  She was involved in several mergers and many changes in the banking industry and  retired from First Interstate Bank on November 1, 1994 but was rehired in 1996.  After 62 years in the bank and at age 82, Esther retired from Wells Fargo Bank on November 1, 2007.  She was always proud of her job which gave her the opportunity for professional and personal development over the years.  Her career was an enjoyable time during which she held several positions within the bank with the last 25 years as a Trust Officer.  She was known to make friends with all her customers and served them well.  Her presence will live in the hearts and minds of those who knew her with fond memories of her devotion to them over the many years.  She was a giving person and shared her love and life with her family as a devoted loving wife, mother, homemaker, grandmother and great-grandmother.  She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Dave and Esther had 3 children, Steve, Mike and Renee.  As a family they had many camping vacations and busy times with various school and church activities.  They were faithful in ensuring their family attended their local church, Kingwood Bible Church in Salem and that they would grow up becoming the individuals God created them to be.  Dave and Esther attended the First Church of the Nazarene in Salem in the latter years.  Esther attended the Mount View Baptist Temple in Tualatin the final 2 years.   Surviving her is her son Michael, WA: daughter-in-law, Jan Loewen, OR;  son-in-law Michael Gray and spouse, Esther, OR: grandchildren: Casey Loewen, Sara and John Lovell, Tess and Ben Wills, Kristen and Joel Meyers, Bryan and Selena Gray, Beth Loewen, and Katie Loewen; and 13 great-grandchildren. Esther was predeceased by her Husband Dave Loewen in 2018, her son Steve Loewen in 1994, her daughter Renee Gray in 1988 and daughter-in-law Colleen Loewen in 2017.  She had 4 sisters and 1 brother who preceded her in death:  Reinhold Hart, Pauline Smith, Hilda Hart, Anna Hansen and Freda Seiber.  She is survived by 2 brothers and 2 sisters: Robert Hart in AZ, Donald Hart in AZ, Ruth Smith in CA and Lorraine Carper in CA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Esther’s memory to: Mount View Baptist Temple in Tualatin, OR or First Church of the Nazarene in Salem, OR or the Union Gospel Mission in Salem, OR. To watch the Funeral Service live starting with the viewing at 10am; Sat. December 12 go to: https://www.viewlogies.com/ and  enterPIN # 939-512