Aldon Harvey Jarvis

Al Jarvis was born on January 3rd 1928 to Herbert & Marie Jarvis, in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Al was the youngest of 3 brothers. In 1935, when Al was just 7 years old, the Jarvis clan packed up all of their belongings and moved to Portland, OR.

He attended Parkrose High School, and was later drafted into the U.S. Army towards the end of World War II. He served with the occupation forces in Japan for two years and was honorably discharged in 1947.

In 1948, he met the love of his life, Jean Amato, and they married February 19, 1950. They soon settled down in southeast Portland and had their first son Scott in 1951, their second son Ronald in 1953, and their third son Michael in 1957.  Al and Jean moved the family to a new home in Milwaukie in 1958 where they had more room to entertain their friends and raise their family.

With the harsh winters in North Dakota, Al grew to love winter sports and became an accomplished, competitive skier. Al became a top rate ski instructor and loved ski jumping, entering many competitions over the years. Mt. Hood was the place to be, and Al and Jean decided to purchase a cabin at Government Camp with their lifelong friends Howard and Frances Hermanson.  Many memorable family weekends were spent there in the winter and the summer.

As the years went on, the boys went to college, were married, and soon started their own families, Al retired in 1988.  Jean retired two years later, and they enjoyed nearly 30 years of retirement. They traveled all over California, making sure to plan as many golf outings as they could.  In fact, golf became his passion, after his days of skiing were at an end.

Jean passed away on Dec. 22nd of 2017.  After her passing, Al’s health quickly deteriorated and he succumbed to too many health issues over the last several weeks. On February 12th, 2018, Al passed away with his sons by his side. On Feb. 19th, Jean and Al would have celebrated their 68th Anniversary.

They are survived by their 3 sons, Scott (Tina), Ron (Jana), and Michael (Elaine), and 5 grandchildren, Evyan (Colin), Jordan, Adrienne, Jeffrey, and Courtney.

There will be a private burial on March 2nd, and Memorial Service on March 3rd at 11:00 a.m. at Rose City Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to The Special Olympics in his name.