Roberta Eaton

Roberta McCallister Eaton

Camas, Washington

May 10, 1934 — Oct. 13, 2021

On Oct. 13, 2021, we unexpectedly lost our most precious mom, Roberta McCallister Eaton, known to everyone as “Bobbie,” in her home in Camas, Washington. She was 87.

Roberta Ellen Sjoding was born in Grant, Nebraska, on May 10, 1934, an only child to Bert and Mary Ellen Sjoding. Bobbie spent most of her childhood in Salem, where she enjoyed spending time with the many family members who also lived in the area.

After high school, she attended Linfield College, then transferred to and graduated from Willamette University with a degree in education. It was during her Willamette years that she met Jerry McCallister, and the two were married March 25, 1956.

Due to Jerry’s enrollment into the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program while at Willamette, they were later stationed in Harlingen, Texas. After that assignment, they were transferred to McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington.

When his service commitment ended, they returned to Salem, where he enrolled in the Willamette University law school program. It was during those three years that mom put her degree to work, and taught third grade at a local elementary school.

After law school, they moved to Astoria in 1965. During her some 38 years of living in the Astoria area, mom was involved in many local activities: the national cancer society, League of Women Voters, First Lutheran Church and Astoria Golf & Country Club, to name a few.

In 1976, she became a business owner when she and Jerry purchased a little gift store in downtown Astoria, known as The Galleon. She loved it so much, they moved locations after a couple of years to the main Astoria strip, aka Commercial Street, and renamed it The Gift Galleon.

Mom poured her heart and soul into her business, but also to promoting downtown Astoria as a whole. To her credit, she founded and was the first president of the award-winning Astoria Downtown Development Association.

In 1986, she met Bob Eaton, who was the executive director of the Astoria Chamber of Commerce at the time, and later became her husband in 2001. Mom sold the business in 1993, and officially retired to enjoy her other life passions and spend more time with family.

In 2003, she and Bob moved to Camas for Bob’s new career as executive director for the Multnomah County Drainage District. They enjoyed entertaining family and friends, and were also able to do some traveling, with the highlights being an Alaskan cruise and European trip to Italy.

Anyone who was fortunate enough to have known Bobbie knew her most sense of pride and joy was family and her many loving friends. We will be forever grateful for all the life lessons she gave, by her own example, of how to be a kind, generous, accepting and loving person.

She is survived by her three children, Jay McCallister, Todd McCallister and Amy Crowley; two stepchildren, Mindy Durias and Brad Eaton; her 15 grandchildren, Matt McCallister, Gabrielle McCallister, Katie McCallister, Alexis McCallister, Luke McCallister, Olivia McCallister, Jack Crowley, Madison Eaton, Makaena Durias, Aidan Durias, Fiyero Durias, Blake Eaton, Brady Eaton, Joshua Durias and Wilbur Durias. She also has one surviving great-granddaughter, Zeta McCallister.

A service will be held on Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. at the Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 12513 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver, Washington.