Gertrude Najera, 81, longtime Oak Harbor resident, passed into the hands of the Lord Dec. 17, 2005, at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, following complications from surgery.

Born in Oslo, Norway on Dec. 16, 1924, she emigrated to Saskatchewan, Canada, at the age of two, and moved to Vancouver, B.C., at 18, where she met and married her husband of 43 years, Ted Najera, USN. They made their home in Oak Harbor for most of the past 55 years.

Gertrude was well-known and respected as an avid worker for the Island County Democratic Party for many years. She was a kind, generous, hospitable person to whom family was paramount, and will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

Gertrude is survived by three daughters, Beverly Brown of Oak Harbor, Linda Hemmerling of Vancouver, Wash., and Gayle Mosier of Oak Harbor, as well as eight beloved grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Ted in April 1990. Burial took place at Maple Leaf Cemetery, next to her husband. Arrangements under direction of Burley Funeral Chapel.