Vincent McGovern

Vince McGovern passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, at the age of 96. Vincent was born on Oct. 25, 1925, in Monroe, Oregon, to Phillip and Addie McGovern and was joined by two brothers, Donald and Phillip (Clifford) McGovern. Vince attended Monroe Grade School and graduated from Monroe High School in 1943. He started commercial fishing the same year on Kaboth Sands working on Seine Island for Columbia River Packers of Astoria, Oregon. He drove a team of horses and also a slimy boat to pick up fish from the island catch. Vince then joined the US Navy in Oct. of 1943, to serve our country during World War II. He served on the Aleutian Islands for six months on a Patrol Escort Ship, running submarine patrol for ships to give to the Russians for the lend and lease program. The ship was transferred to the Islands of the South Pacific and he volunteered to operate LCVO, a Higgins landing craft. Here he received a Coxswain rating. He also learned to never volunteer for anything again. Invasions are not fun and games, he spent the rest of World War II in the South Pacific Island. In 1946, Vince was honorably discharged from the Navy. He then returned to commercial fishing in the summer and spring time, while attending Southern Oregon College and graduated with a Master's Degree in Education. He married Minnie Tidmore, who worked at the Roseburg Library. He then began teaching seventh grade in Dillard, Oregon. The following year he became an art teacher at Douglas High School, then later worked at Lookingglass School as the vice principal. The next year, Vince became the principal of both Tenmile and Lookingglass Schools and continued to drive between the two schools for 13 years. Vince later accepted the position of principal at the Civil Bend School in Winston, Oregon and spent his remaining educational career with the Winston-Dillard School District 116. After working for thirty-two years, Vince retired in 1986. The community gave him a great honor and changed the name of Civil Bend School to the McGovern Elementary School. Vince felt the key to have a successful school is having a good staff, and he was very fortunate in that. Vince had many hobbies including boating, fishing, RVing, spending time in Arizona, Mexico, and boating to Alaska on his own boats that ranged from 20ft to 25ft. Vince wrote his own obituary on April 18, 2016 at Garden Valley retirement in Roseburg, Oregon where he and Minnie retired together after having a great life together. A funeral service was held at Taylor's Family Chapel in Winston, Oregon on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022 at 10 a.m. Vince will be laid to rest after at Monroe Cemetery, in Monroe, Oregon.