Jeanne

Jeanne Yallalee Ingalls

February 16, 1948-February 11, 2011

Born in Oakland, California on February 16, 1948, Jeanne was the second of three children born to Catherine and William Yallalee. She grew up in Sacramento, attending Cottage School, Jonas Salk Jr. High and graduated from Encina High School in 1966. At Encina, Jeanne was active in choir including the advanced Madrigals group and performed in school musicals including “Brigadoon” and “Oklahoma.”

Jeanne then graduated Pepperdine University in 1970 with a B.A. degree in Psychology. It was while a freshman at Pepperdine that Jeanne and Gerald Ingalls became acquainted in the course of their common interests and involvement in the music and drama departments. Gerald had transferred from Lubbock Christian College. Among the palm trees and sunshine of southern California, they were married on June 26, 1970 in Glendale.

Gerald’s Air Force assignment took them to Illinois for two years before returning to California where Jeanne was employed in a variety of child care and child education programs while Gerald entered a doctoral level course of study in computer science at UCLA.

Their family began to grow as Jennifer was born in 1976, followed by Julia in 1979.

Jeanne and Gerald moved to Portland, Oregon in 1984. They joined the Vancouver Church of Christ where they were co-teachers in the preschool/kindergarten ministry.

From 1989 to 1994 Jeanne, Gerald and the girls lived in Round Rock, Texas just north of Austin, then were able to return to the Pacific Northwest. (Jeanne didn’t like Texas so much, being too hot in the summers for her.)

Jeanne enjoyed her role as wife, mother and homemaker, but soon became involved as an art instructor at Columbia Christian Schools after taking some continuing education art classes. Because she loved being around children, she eventually became the full-time director for the Pre-Kindergarten program at Columbia.

With the graduation of the class of 2010 last June, Jeanne saw the original Pre-K students complete their 14 years of the entire Columbia Christian Schools program. She adored her students, referring to them as her “little lambs.”

Jeanne was preceded in death by both parents, William and Catherine Yallalee. She leaves behind her husband of 40 years, Gerald Ingalls, two daughters, Jennifer Ingalls Hill of Portland and Julia Ingalls Gaede of Colorado Springs, Colorado along with five grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Also surviving are her sister Anne Wheelis of Pacific Grove, California and brother Bill Yallalee of Garland, Texas.

Jeanne’s life was a reflection of her Lord’s life, a life lived in the service of others. The family requests that memorial gifts in Jeanne’s honor be made to Columbia Christian Schools’ “Walk of Faith.”