PORT ORCHARD — Former Port Orchard resident Lillian Ruby (Hagbo) Gelsleichter, born April 9, 1924, died on Sept. 6.

Lillian, the first-born of Mary Ruby (Rinnan) Hagbo and Archie Hagbo, was born in Tacoma. Her full life cycle brought her back to her hometown for her final years. Her childhood was spent in the Puget Sound area (Tacoma and Seattle) until the World War II job market took the family to California, where she graduated from Santa Ana High in 1943.

While there, she met her future husband, Frank. They married in 1946, shortly after he returned from the war, and settled in the Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, area. Their first two sons, Charles and David, were born there. The family soon moved to the Northwest — Tacoma, Bremerton, Purdy, Rosedale, Idaho Falls, back to Bremerton — and finally settled in the Port Orchard area. They welcomed a third son, Bruce, while living in Bremerton.

Always the busy bee, she devoted herself to family activities, community and church work, as well as part-time employment. After Frank passed away in 1982, Lillian continued to keep her life full with family, friends and work. In the early ’70s, she moved back to Tacoma.

When Lillian was 80, she joined her and Frank’s longtime friend, Bob Wilson, at his home in the San Diego area. They spent several years together traveling, RV camping, cruising and generally enjoying life while Bob was still able to.

She returned to Washington to live with her sister, then settled at the Tahoma Terrace independent living retirement apartments in 2011. She made many good friends there. She enjoyed her ability to live independently in Tacoma, to have in-house activities available (especially her bingo, cribbage and pinochle games), to have a facility for her annual family and friends gathering, to be near transit and community amenities, and to be close enough for family visits.

Lillian almost always had a supply of homemade cookies that she gave out to family and friends, along with dozens, or maybe hundreds, of her crocheted scrubbies. Her years were happy ones.

Lillian was predeceased by her husband Frank and son Bruce. She is survived by her sister Dolores (Jack); sons Charles (Barbara) and David (Darlene); four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren and many beloved cousins, nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Lillian’s life will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Oct. 28, at University Place Presbyterian Church, 8101 27th St. W. in Tacoma.