Loretta Mary Wollett, a member of St. Ignatius Parish in Southeast Portland for 80 years, died Monday, April 14 in Portland of natural causes. She was 84.
Ms. Wollett was born May 10, 1923 in Portland, where she was raised and educated, graduating from Franklin High School. After earning an undergraduate degree from Reed College on a scholarship and a Master’s degree from the University of Oregon in Eugene, she worked as a translator at the US Embassy in Geneva, Switzerland and Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia.
What followed was a 37-year teaching career in the language department at Cleveland High School. Ms. Wollett founded the Oregon Foreign Language Board and was a member for the rest of her life. She also directed the Latin America Division for Voice of America.
Survivors include sisters Frances Crouse and Catherin Kerr and 25 nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial was held Saturday, April 26 at St. Ignatius. Remembrances may be made to the Loretta Wollett Study Abroad Scholarship at Cleveland High School.