GyBill
06-04-2009, 11:27 AM
Selina Gladys "Sally" McGillivray passed on peacefully at the age of 85 in the early moments of May 23, 2009. She died at Marquis Care Nursing Center in North Portland from conditions related to age. Sally remained the sweet person known to all to the end. She was born Aug. 7, 1923, in Mishicot, Wis., the first child of George Rhein, a dairyman, and Amy (Dorgan) Rhein. The new family moved to the Pacific Northwest soon after and made homes for themselves in places like Oregon City; Oysterville, Wash.; Kelso, Wash.; Kalama, Wash.; Albany; then Seaside and Gearhart on the coast. In 1938 George acquired the family dairy farm in Dayton. In the 1940s with the onset of World War II, Selina moved out on her own, thereafter acquiring the nickname "Sally." She attended Marylhurst College, afterward moving to Portland where she was an elevator operator at Meier & Frank. In 1944 she volunteered for the Marine Corps Women's Reserve. After training in Quartermasters School, she was assigned to Marine Corps Headquarters, Washington, D.C. It was in the Marines that she met her future spouse, Roy McGillivray, an Army medic. After the war they married in Tampa, Fla., the beginning of a large and beautiful family. Roy and Sally had eight children in Tampa. In 1963 the family moved cross-country to Portland where their modern day journey on the Oregon Trail was described in a feature article in The Oregonian. Back in Oregon, Sally settled down as a housewife in the family home in the Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhood, as the kids continued their early education. The family later moved to a new house just across from Lents Park, and Sally was active in the parish of St. Peter Catholic Church and the work of the Center For Peace. After careers as an educator and stage and screen actor, Roy McGillivray passed away in July of 1993. Before her retirement Sally worked as a secretary for Al Kader, Kaiser Permanente and the U.S. Social Security Administration. She had an early interest in art and drawing and her sewing not only kept the kids and household well appointed, but gave her many hours of enjoyment. Selina is survived by her eight children, Bruce McGillivray, 62, Portland; Laura McGillivray, 58, Ephriam, Utah; Douglas McGillivray, 57, Ephriam; Ann Hyskell, 56, Ephriam; Susan Dixon, 54, Anchorage, Alaska; Kevin McGillivray, 52, Portland; Jane McGillivray Bostick, 50, Panama City Beach, Fla.; and Mary (Miriam) Weese, 46, Charlotte, Vt. Her children's families have blessed her with numerous grandchildren. Of her Rhein siblings, Sally was predeceased by her brother, Raymond Rhein, and sister, Marjory Shawn. Surviving are three brothers and their families, Gerald "Jerry," John "Jack" and Paul. Sally's wonderful lifetime will be remembered in so may ways by her large family and many dear friends. A memorial vigil and reception in her honor will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, 2009, in Zeller Chapel of the Roses, 2107 N.E. Broadway, Portland.