Claude Wren, Jr.

Ocean Park resident Claude Allen. Wren, Jr., age 62, died December 19, 2006 after a battle with cancer. The son of Claude and Dorothy (Somers) Wren, he was born Feb. 4, 1944 in Vancouver, WA. Claude grew up in Vancouver and attended Evergreen High School. At the age of 17 he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged in 1967. After completing his military service, Claude worked in the machining industry for several years. On April 20, 1971 he married Sheryl Ruble. The couple made their home in Medford, OR where Claude built a lovely log home and worked for the Oregon Dept. of Transportation for the next 15 years. After taking early retirement from the ODOT, he owned and operated a bakery on the Oregon coast and lived in the Charleston/Florence area. Deciding to try the RV life, Claude and Sheryl set up housekeeping in their RV and traveled before becoming managers of an RV Park in northern California. After returning to Vancouver, WA to be near their family, Claude worked as an industrial painter. He completed his working career as an auto parts driver, delivering parts from Portland, OR to auto parts stores on the coast. Claude retired and in June of 2005 he and Sheryl moved to make their permanent retirement home in Ocean Park. An independent man who lived life on his own terms, Claude had a great sense of humor and the ability to make others laugh with the way he expressed himself. He was extremely handy and could do most anything that needed to be done. A devoted family man, he enjoyed his grandchildren and dearly loved his two English bulldogs. His hobby and passion was restoring cars of the 1940's. He completed a '49 Cad, '49 Buick a '48 Pontiac and was working on a '49 Cad convertible when he became ill. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Sheryl; sons Claude Allen Wren III of Seatac, WA and Edward Wren and his wife Gina of Battleground, WA; daughter Dee Ann Harpole and husband Kevin of Vancouver, WA; step-son Dave Davis and his wife Sherri of Portland, OR; step-daughter Kim Stewart and husband Les of Oregon City, OR; mother Dorothy Wren of Ocean Park; sister Laura Deemer and husband Don of Ocean Park, WA and 12 grandchildren. Graveside services and burial will be held at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, OR on December 28, 2006 at 1 PM. Arrangements entrusted to Penttila's Chapel by the Sea, Long Beach, WA.