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Ahna Wahlen
Victoria Irene Wahlen
April 8th, 1936 - April 16th, 2023
April 8th, 1936 - April 16th, 2023
Victoria Irene Miller was born in Kunming, China on April 8, 1936 to Irene and Claude Miller. She spoke both Chinese and English at an early age and was a busy, bubbly, active girl - the pride and joy of her parents. She was sent to Far Eastern Academy in Shanghai and later Hong Kong during her early elementary school years to remove her from the war torn areas of China where her parents served as missionaries for a total of 40 years.
In the eighth grade she was sent to live with her Aunt Abby and Uncle Cecil Miller in California and found the culture shock to be significant. Her parents soon moved to Chicago and she loved attending boarding school at Broadview Academy. Her yearbooks from that time show her in so many clubs and organizations it makes one tired to think of it! She was recognized for her singing and was a member of a women's trio at both Broadview Academy and La Sierra College.
From there she studied to be a nurse at Loma Linda University and worked at the White Memorial Hospital. She graduated in the small class of 1958-A and her close girlfriends got together frequently for the remainder of their lives.
A tall handsome dental student named Ray Wahlen caught her eye the day she moved into Lindsay Hall for school and they were married in 1957. Three weeks later Ray was sent as an "obligated volunteer" to Korea for service in the US Army. Vicki was finishing her senior year of nursing school. The letters between them are treasured by their children and give insight into the beautiful love they shared. Vicki would joke that they had absolutely no fights their first year of marriage! Upon graduation Vicki moved to Korea and enjoyed the weekends when Ray could visit.
Vicki and Ray chose to devote almost 20 years to mission service for the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Korea. Both studied the language diligently and spoke fluent Korean within the first three years. Ray started the dental clinic and Vicki taught nursing - even contributing questions for the Korean National Nursing Boards.
The couple was blessed with three children, John Raymond Wahlen II, Steven Allen Wahlen and Judith (Ahna) Irene Wahlen. Keeping up with diaper duty (sometimes without running water and other realities of mission life) and serving as the mission hostess were only a part of Vicki's work. She served as Ray's secretary, volunteered in the orphanage and lead cooking schools and health classes. Her children remember her amazing skill driving on the often unpaved and unlined roads in Korea. It often resembled the game of "chicken" and she held her own!
The family returned to California in 1978 and moved to Visalia California to open an oral surgery practice. Vicki worked as an RN and office manager in the practice for many years. She also earned her Masters in Public Health from Loma Linda University and spearheaded and facilitated the Heatbeat/CHIP community health programs through the Visalia Seventh-Day Adventist Church. She served as church secretary a number of years and was a very active and diligent head elder for four years. She stood by her husband and supported all his endeavors including the dream of starting a Christian Radio station (now known as Promise 97.4 FM) for the Central California area.
Following the death of her husband, in 1995, Vicki made her way to Walla Walla Washington to live near her daughter Judy and her family. She was a wonderful mother and a fun grandmother to her 7 grandchildren. She delighted in her first great granddaughter Eleanor Caro (Steve's granddaughter) and was eagerly anticipating the birth of her second great grandchild Kailey Mercer (Ray's granddaughter) who was born 3 days after her death. In 2021 she moved once again to Lynden Washington to remain near her daughter Judy.
She is remembered for many wonderful character traits and wonderfully loving nature. She was strong, resilient, caring, giving, capable and was such a gift to everyone who was blessed to know her. In 2022, her entire family met in Bellingham Washington to spend a heartwarming weekend celebrating her life with her. She will be greatly missed by so many.
We invite you to share stories and photos on this site as we continue to remember and celebrate Vicki.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial gifts to Promise 89.7 FM at: https://give.ministrylinq.com/app/giving/mypromisefm
Events
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Resting Place
Visalia Cemetery
36.3374817, -119.3052179
Tributes
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Lynelle Smith
Dear Family of Vicky, This is Jackie’s daughter, Lynelle. Vicky was a nursing classmate of my mother, Jackie Smith-Heidinger. She wrote a beautiful tribute for her when my mother died of a brain tumor in 2015. I remember visiting Vicky in Walla Walla, and we had several meaningful phone conversations in the years after my mother died. I really appreciated her. She was such a caring and genuine Christian. I was thinking about her tonight and did not realize she had passed. I am glad that heaven will be a place of reunions!! What precious memories you must have of her as a mother and grandmother. I am sending my love and prayers to you from the Big Apple. (I teach violin in NYC) I am glad that my mother had such a close-knit nursing class, and a wonderful classmate/friend such as Vicky! ❤️ Lynelle Smith
Ahna Wahlen
Victoria Irene Miller was born in Kunming, China on April 8, 1936 to Irene and Claude Miller. She spoke both Chinese and English at an early age and was a busy, bubbly, active girl - the pride and joy of her parents. She was sent to Far Eastern Academy in Shanghai and later Hong Kong during her early elementary school years to remove her from the war torn areas of China where her parents served as missionaries for a total of 40 years. In the eighth grade she was sent to live with her Aunt Abby and Uncle Cecil Miller in California and found the culture shock to be significant. Her parents soon moved to Chicago and she loved attending boarding school at Broadview Academy. Her yearbooks from that time show her in so many clubs and organizations it makes one tired to think of it! She was recognized for her singing and was a member of a women's trio at both Broadview Academy and La Sierra College. From there she studied to be a nurse at Loma Linda University and worked at the White Memorial Hospital. She graduated in the small class of 1958-A and her close girlfriends got together frequently for the remainder of their lives. A tall handsome dental student named Ray Wahlen caught her eye the day she moved into Lindsay Hall for school and they were married in 1957. Three weeks later Ray was sent as an "obligated volunteer" to Korea for service in the US Army. Vicki was finishing her senior year of nursing school. The letters between them are treasured by their children and give insight into the beautiful love they shared. Vicki would joke that they had absolutely no fights their first year of marriage! Upon graduation Vicki moved to Korea and enjoyed the weekends when Ray could visit. Vicki and Ray chose to devote almost 20 years to mission service for the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Korea. Both studied the language diligently and spoke fluent Korean within the first three years. Ray started the dental clinic and Vicki taught nursing - even contributing questions for the Korean National Nursing Boards. The couple was blessed with three children, John Raymond Wahlen II, Steven Allen Wahlen and Judith Irene Wahlen. Keeping up with diaper duty (sometimes without running water and other realities of mission life) and serving as the mission hostess were only a part of Vicki's work. She served as Ray's secretary, volunteered in the orphanage and lead cooking schools and health classes. Her children remember her amazing skill driving on the often unpaved and unlined roads in Korea. It often resembled the game of "chicken" and she held her own! The family returned to California in 1978 and moved to Visalia California to open an oral surgery practice. Vicki worked as an RN and office manager in the practice for many years. She also earned her Masters in Public Health from Loma Linda University and spearheaded and facilitated the Heatbeat/CHIP community health programs through the Visalia Seventh-Day Adventist Church. She served as church secretary a number of years and was a very active and diligent head elder for four years. She stood by her husband and supported all his endeavors including the dream of starting a Christian Radio station for the Central California area. Following the death of her husband in 1995, Vicki made her way to Walla Walla Washington to live near her daughter Judy and her family. She was a wonderful mother and a fun grandmother to her 7 grandchildren. She delighted in her first great granddaughter Eleanor Caro (Steve's granddaughter) and was eagerly anticipating the birth of her second great grandchild Kailey Mercer (Ray's granddaughter) who was born 3 days after her death. In 2021 she moved once again to Lynden Washington to remain near her daughter Judy. She is remembered for many wonderful character traits and wonderfully loving nature. She was strong, resilient, caring, giving, capable and was such a gift to everyone who was blessed to know her. In 2022, her entire family met in Bellingham Washington to spend a heartwarming weekend celebrating her life with her. She will be greatly missed by so many. We invite you to share stories and photos on this site as we continue to remember and celebrate Vicki.
Keith Hanson
I remember living with Ray and Vicki's for 6 months in Korea. I was a student missionary in 1970 teaching English at the school in Dae Wong Corner. For the first 6 months we lived in an apartment on the 7th floor and after an incident that made it apparent it could be dangerous to stay living there a couple of the boys, including me, were moved into some of he missionaries home. I loved being in their home. One time we went on a vacation with them to the beach. I remember a long dirt road that was washbordy for a long way. When we got to the beach it started to rain and we had to stay in doors. Now what to do without getting "cabin fever". So We took cushions off furniture and taught the Wahlen children how to do tumbling. We had a great time doing somersaults standing on our head etc. At home we were able to participate in worships with singing and reading. After that year we always felt close to the Wahlen's. What a wonderful family!! We also enjoyed visiting Vicki when she lived in Walla Walla.
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