Obituary of Charlene Slack

1943 - 2012Charlene, after a nearly 4 year courageous battle with breast cancer, passed away July 6, 2012 in Georgetown, TX. She was born August 11, 1943 in Seward, NE to the parents of Charles and Bernice Tipton but spent most of her formative years in Oregon. Charlene graduated from Triangle Lake High School and Oregon State University in 1965. After graduation she taught for several years but then she and her husband were transferred numerous times to follow his job. At each location, Charlene became quickly involved in various clubs and activities, most times in a leadership role. One of her greatest achievements was being selected as Outstanding Idaho 4-H Leader of the Year and so honored at a national conference in Washington DC. In addition to her active community involvement, she found time to direct and plan the building of several of their homes and extensively remodeling most of the others.One of Charlene's greatest joys was traveling, and she did so extensively, to 6 of the 7 continents, 33 countries, 48 of the 50 states, and included several extended international tours by herself. Some of the more remote trips took her to Egypt, Jordan, Tibet, Vietnam, Turkey, China, Thailand, Tasmania, Fiji, the Amazon Rain Forest, and India. But her greatest joy was spending time with her grandchildren Addison and Julia.Charlene is survived by her husband Larry, a son Ryan, two grandchildren, a sister Gloria Tipton, and a brother Richard Tipton.Shortly after her diagnosis, she adopted the following motto: "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about learning to dance in the rain" and she lived it to the fullest. Her approach and attitude towards life was an inspiration and example to those around her on how to make the best of a most difficult situation.Services will be at St. Helen's Catholic Church in Junction City, OR on July 17 at 11 a.m.Charlene RaeTipton Slack