Leona Myrle Morlan

LEONE MYRLE MORLAN Leone Myrle Morlan, 80, died Sunday, November 18, 2012 in Newberg, Oregon, after a long illness. Leone was born in Portland on December 21, 1931 to Melvin and Virginia Johnson. She attended Lincoln High School and Lewis and Clark College. In 1948 she became an assistant to magician, Stan Kramien. They married in 1950. The pair traveled throughout the western U.S., Canada and Mexico performing their act in theaters and night clubs through the early 1950’s. She gave birth to a son, Stanley Kramien, Jr., known as “Rick” on July 7, 1956. As live show business changed with the introduction of television in the mid-1950’s, the Kramiens toured with their own circus throughout the west. “Miss Leone” trained performing dogs, chimpanzees, birds, ponies, seals, pigs, a baby elephant and even a lion, which all became part of the show. Leone’s love of animals remained with her throughout her life. Her experience with animals also led to her operating retail pet stores in Washington state with Stan. The family was back on the road in the early 1960’s with the huge Carson and Barnes 5-Ring Circus, touring nationally with TV’s Kirby Grant, “Sky King the Flying Cowboy.” However, in 1965 Leone left her show business life when she parted with Kramien. At the time, Leone often quipped to friends, “I’m tired of show business; I think I should marry someone with a stable career, like a plumber!” True to form, Leone did what she said she would do after she met Gary Morlan, whose father, George Morlan, had operated a plumbing shop on SE Foster Road since 1927. Leone married Gary in 1967 and together they took over the family business. Applying her retail and show business entrepreneurial experience, Leone helped transform George Morlan Plumbing from a Portland neighborhood plumbing shop into one of the first consumer plumbing showrooms in the U.S. Leone was fearless and a pioneer in the male-dominated plumbing industry. While Gary was out making water heater service calls, she surprised many hard-boiled plumbers who would stop at the store for a part and ask if they could speak to “a man” behind the counter. Leone quickly set them straight. The customers soon learned that she could answer any plumbing question and knew the business inside and out. She led the way for many women who have since worked at George Morlan Plumbing, and in the plumbing industry at-large. Gary and Leone retired in 1989, selling the business to her son, Rick, who continues to operate George Morlan Plumbing today. Leone saw the business grow from the one store on Foster Road to eight retail locations now throughout Oregon. Leone and Gary moved to the Embarcadero Resort in Newport to enjoy retirement. There, Leone supported all of Gary’s endeavors including fishing – she once caught a record 125 lb. halibut – to trap shooting; where she helped Gary revitalize the Toledo, Oregon Gun Club and encouraged his world-record-setting trap shooting campaign which saw him shoot over 500,000 registered clay targets during his career. The pair also enjoyed time at their home on the Siletz River and vacations in Mexico. To be closer to their family, Gary and Leone moved to Newberg in 2000. Gary died in 2004. Leone was involved with numerous charities including the Children’s Fund, the Food Bank and the VFW, was a great cook, an avid reader and antique “picker” (a hobby she took up during her show-business travels around the U.S. when she acquired many unique and priceless items.) She also loved her pets and gardening. Family friends, Mike and Diane Cooper, built her a greenhouse at her home in Newberg and she approached the hobby with as much effort and passion as she had displayed running businesses in the past; growing vegetables for the family through her final days. Leone is survived by her brother, Terry Johnson; past-husband and friend, Stan Kramien; son Rick Kramien; daughter-in-law, Debra and grandchildren Heather, Alex and Amanda; along with a host of friends around the world.

Leona Myrle Morlan

December 21, 1931 - November 18, 2012