November 18, 1937 - August 25, 2023
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Charlotte Jean Hall was born to Harry A. Knipple and Betty P. Knipple (Siverling) on November 18, 1937 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She had one brother, Harry Albert Knipple Jr. and one sister, Geraldine Jane Knipple. Charlotte met and married Edward Kokoruda with who she had six children. Charlotte and Edward relocated from Pennsylvania to California, then Washington, and eventually landed in Portland, Oregon. They later divorced.
Charlotte was a hard-working woman who always made sure to have food on the table for her children working multiple jobs at times. She worked as a waitress and loved it. She talked about it for years and would brag how she could carry so many plates at one time. She also worked for Jantzen, a swimsuit factory in Portland where she sewed swimsuits. It was here where she met a friend who would introduce Charlotte to her brother-in-law, Herb Hall. The two eventually became sisters-in-law when Charlotte and Herb married on April 18, 1981. When she married Herb, he told her she never had to work again. They were married for 41 and a half years until Herb passed away last year on September 12, 2022.
Charlotte became a Christian in 1990 after she first attended Sheridan Baptist Church with her daughter Kathy and accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior. Later on, Herb would also become a born again Christian and the two of them became official members of Sheridan Baptist Church and remained so until their time of death. Charlotte served in her church through singing in special music, cantatas, and choir as well as working in Pee Wee Church, Vacation Bible School during the summers, providing snacks and doing arts and crafts for the Pee Wees.
Charlotte and Herb enjoyed camping, fishing, and spending every moment they could with their family and especially all those grandchildren. It was a common practice to have a video camera set up to record every family event such as opening up presents at Christmas time, birthday parties, family BBQs, grandkids dancing on top a picnic table for 2 hours, grandkids learning how to ride a new bike without training wheels and crashing into the back of the van, making lip syncing videos, and sometimes just recording the adults sitting at the table doing make up for their Halloween costumes. They both loved making these home videos and they never missed a birthday party, recital, school program, holiday, or other event involving a grandkid. Every Christmas and Thanksgiving was at their house until they started the “RV life” and could no longer accommodate the whole family.
Charlotte and Herb both loved to go out and eat. Izzy’s and Busters were frequented, but while Grandpa was picky and kept it simple, Grandma liked eating chocolate and onion sandwiches, pickled pigs feet, and raw onions like an apple. She liked buttermilk, sub sandwiches, mashed potatoes, and pigs in the blanket which was hamburger and sausage loaves mixed with rice and wrapped in cabbage, smothered with sauerkraut and tomato sauce that Grandpa would only let her make when he worked swing shift because he could not stand the smell, but Grandma loved it. Grandma’s staple dishes she loved to make were potato salad, macaroni salad, and she could whip up a homemade gravy like no one else.
She was a hard worker and so strong to endure all the things she did in her life. She was a very tough woman except when it came to bees. She once made Grandpa pack up their entire campsite and move to another camp because a bee was chasing her. However, she was not afraid of Joie’s punching bag she got for Christmas when she walked up to it, punched it as hard as she could, all proud of herself, not realizing in an instant it would come back and smack her right in the face and knock her down.
She would say “yella” instead of yellow, “mirra” instead of mirror, “Sharis” (sharrr eees) instead of Shari’s and “Loels” instead of Lowes. There was no correcting her. She would also let Rosa hold her false teeth while she brushed her gums.
She took care of Rosa and Beronica while Kathy was in the hospital before and after her heart transplant. She and Herb moved in with them, she ran the household, did all the cooking, shopping, etc. and drove up to OHSU everyday to be with Kathy after dropping the girls off at school and would be back in time when school was out and before Herb was off work and have dinner on the table.
Charlotte loved scrapbooking, making crafts, knitting, crocheting, and sewing of any kind from homemade Halloween costumes for her grandkids such as ninja turtles to a full size pumpkin suit that everyone mistook for a tomato. She would sew curtains, hem clothing, and make culottes and scrunchies for her granddaughters as well as matching vests for herself, Karen, and Kathy for when they sang at church. Whenever anything needed fixed, we always took it to Grandma.
She loved flowers and loved to garden and was so proud of all her beautiful rose bushes. She learned to paint by taking classes at Chemeketa and watching Bob Ross on TV. She loved to paint anything, but especially landscapes and elk.
Charlotte loved music and played the ukulele by ear. Often times, the first lyrics out of her mouth when she’d pick up a ukulele was, “Five foot two, eyes of blue…” and then followed by “Aba dabba dabba dabba dabba dabba dabba said the monkey to the chimp…” (if you know, you know.) She loved to sing and harmonize with her daughters Kathy and Karen in church, but also with her granddaughters and great-granddaughters while just sitting around the living room.
Charlotte loved God. She knew her faith. She knew her Jesus and in her last days, she was ready to meet Him face to face and would often say, “I’m going to be with Jesus!” And on August 25, 2023 Charlotte went to be with Jesus.
Charlotte is survived by three children: Edward Kokoruda (daughter-in-law Julie Kokoruda), Donald Kokoruda, Karen Sosa (son-in-law Marcos Sosa); 16 grandkids: Nathan Nerpal, Ryan Campbell (granddaughter-in-law Kristen Campbell), Amie Carlson (grandson-in-law Jake Carlson), Zachary Kokoruda, Amanda Garcia (grandson-in-law Xander Garcia), Elizabeth Kokoruda, Adam Kokoruda, Andrew Kokoruda, Rosa McCandless (grandson-in-law Larry McCandless), Beronica Espiritu, Kayla Kokoruda, Mark Sosa, John Sosa, Jeremy Eaton, Laura Eaton, Jonathon Eaton; and thirty great-grandkids: Hailey Nerpal, Joe Nerpal, Sam Nerpal, Isla Nerpal, Jack Campbell, Aiden Campbell, Hunter Carlson, Sarah Carlson, Logan Carlson, Alyna Kokoruda, Samantha McCandless, Alyssa McCandless, Joanna McCandless, Jayce Gautney, Dax Gautney, Adalyn Sosa, Haily Sosa, Julian John Sosa, Nora Sosa, Jeremy Eaton Jr, Anthony Eaton, Jonathon Eaton, Zaida Eaton, Kylie Eaton, Faith Eaton, Elijah Eaton, Chris Eaton, Emily Eaton, Amy Eaton, Magin Eaton. She is preceded in death by her husband, Herb Hall, three children, and one son-in-law: Keith Kokoruda, Kathy Espiritu, and Kristy Eaton (son-in-law Perry Eaton).
Of everything she ever did, she was most proud of ALL those “grands”. She loved her family fiercely and passionately and her children were her greatest accomplishment. A graveside service will be held on Friday, September 1, 2023, at 1:00pm at Green Crest Memorial Park 27234 SW Ballston Rd, Sheridan, Oregon 97378.
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