Charlene Joy Talbot-Kribs

November 14, 1924 - July 13, 2013

Charlene Joy Talbot-Kribs, 88 of Philomath, passed away at home on July 13, 2013. Charlene was born to Charles Henry and Helen Bailey Jillson Talbot on Nov. 14, 1924 at Frankfort, Marshall County KS. Early in life she moved down to Topeka, KS with her father and mother. After graduating from high school in Topeka, Charlene tried Junior College at Southgate CA, and returned to graduate with a BS degree in Journalism from Kansas State at Manhattan, KS. In 1950 Charlene moved to New York City to become a writer. She first lived on Greenwich Street amongst other would-be partying writers, actors, and artists. After times in Mexico, Perry KS, The Hague, Netherlands, and London, England she bought a house on Staten Island NYC and indeed did settle down, to become a successful writer. Charlene had a poem published when she was 12 with latter magazine and newspaper articles. She had five (children’s books as Charlene called them) young people books published many of which are still in a large number of libraries. The most well know An Orphan for Nebraska recounting the adventures of a boy from one of the orphan trains. She was offered money to write romantic novels, an important commodity of most writers. Under the pen names Lucy Lee and Elizabeth Alden she had published another five successful books reprinted in as many as six languages. Genealogy being a passion, she also wrote and edited two family history books and a booklet on the early history of Bend, OR. In 1948 she had the opportunity to go out to Honolulu, HI to look after a friend, Doris Evens’ sister, as Charlene felt she could and did write a book in a closet out there. After experiencing Hawaii, she decided there must be a better place to live than NYC. She tried West Minster, CA; Tucson, AZ; back to NY and finally in 1989, Philomath, Oregon, where the daffodils were blooming in the snow. Truly this was the place. While doing all the country things, (gardening, chickens, sheep, goats, etc.) she got some bees. Looking for a book on beekeeping Pat Bowman, the Philomath Librarian, gave her the phone number of a beekeeper she knew. A few days later the bees swarmed, she called and the rest is history. David Allen Kribs and Charlene Joy Talbot were married October 4, 1993. It proved to be a good union for which they will forever thank the bees. Charlene, an only child, was the youngest of some 38 first cousins who along with her parents have preceded her in death. She is survived by her husband, daughter-like friend, Linda Boyce and family and stepson and his wife; Martin, and Blaire Kribs, along with grandsons Wyatt, Willie and Wesley Kribs of Carbondale, CO. A memorial of family and friends is planned for July 30 at home, all are welcome, please bring a potluck dish. Contributions can be made to the Benton County Genealogical Society, Philomath Gleaners, Benton Hospice or charity of choice. A private burial is planned in the Pleasant Valley Cemetery up the hill five miles SW of Philomath where Charlene had looked after the nesting bluebirds.