Margaret Charlotte Billeter

Margaret Charlotte Passarge was born to Ernst and Emilie Passarge in Berlin, Germany, on August 4, 1918, three months before the end of World War I. She was their fifth child and their only surviving daughter, joining brothers Alex, Ernest and Henry. Her father Ernst was deemed unfit for military service due to a childhood injury which left him with a severely deformed shoulder. It was during the final months of the war that Ernst moved his family to a farm where he knew that they would always have food and goods to barter when Germany lost the war. He was more than correct in his speculation, and as the Treaty of Versailles took effect, German society began to deteriorate and inflation skyrocketed. While people took wheelbarrows of money to stores to try to buy essentials, Ernst was able to feed his family and trade for goods without the use of money. When money began to be totally worthless, and life in Germany continued to deteriorate, the Passarge family sold the farm and all of their earthly possessions, and in1924 (with the exception of Alex who had married and had a young family) they booked passage to the United States through Ellis Island, hoping for a new beginning and a better quality life. Their dreams were nearly shattered when authorities at Ellis Island told the Passarge Family that due to Ernst's deformity they might be rejected as potential citizens and returned to Germany, penniless. After many tense hours and pressure from American citizen friends, the family was finally released to join relatives in Lodi, CA. Here they worked in the grape harvest, but after spending some time in Lodi, Margaret's parents decided to move north and found that Portland, Oregon was a more suitable place for them, and Portland became their lifetime home. In their early years in America, the newly settled immigrants lived modestly and on a strict budget. Regardless, they bought Margaret a piano in 1927 when she was 9 years old and her life-long passion for music began to blossom. Margaret attended Jefferson High School in Portland where her graduating class selected her most likely to be "The First Woman President of the United States." Shunning politics, Margaret chose to attend Linfield College instead, but in 1938 she interrupted her studies to accompany her mother on a trip to Germany to visit her brother Alex and his family (wife Elsa, son Horst and daughter Eva) who she had not seen in 14 years. It was during this 5 month "visit" that Margaret recalled seeing Adolph Hitler twice, once at a planned parade and a second time perchance outside of a Berlin opera house where she was "within spitting distance" as he rode by in his Mercedes convertible. Terrified by his fanatic and wild popularity with the German public, let alone what he stood for, Margaret and her Mother thought it best to leave Germany at once. There departure was nearly prevented by Nazi authorities ("We made it out by the skin of our teeth" - Margaret), but Alex (who was an outspoken Anti-Nazi) and his family were prohibited from leaving with them. Alex's Anti-Nazi attitude and activities had landed him in very serious trouble with the German Government and his only son, Horst (a mere teenager) would later be involuntarily drafted by the failing German War Machine, never to be seen again. Alex and his remaining family would not leave Germany until the mid-1950's. After her narrow escape from Nazi Germany, Margaret returned to Portland where she was employed by the Bell Telephone Company, first as an operator and later as a receptionist. It was in her position as receptionist on Monday, December 8, 1941 (the day after Pearl Harbor) that she was required to try to explain to Japanese-American citizens why their telephone service was terminated during the night without notice and why they would be required to pay $50 to have it reinstated. She recalled this experience as being horrifying and humiliating for her, and unfair and Un-American in the treatment of these American Citizens. Of course she had no idea that this was just the "tip of the iceberg" of the humiliation and degradation that Japanese Americans would soon endure. In 1941, when U.S. involvement in WWII was imminent, Margaret became engaged to James D. Billeter, a Grant High School graduate and Naval enlistee, and they were married in March of 1942. For the remainder of the war, Jim and Margaret lived on Base at the Naval Air Station in Pasco, WA. where Margaret became the Executive Secretary to the Commanding Officer of the Naval Base and Jim pursued his MOS in gunnery instruction and plane identification. Post war, Margaret and her husband settled back in Portland where Jim finished his studies and joined his father in the family business, L.C. Kramer Co. Their son, James David Jr. was born in 1946 and daughter, Jean Kathryn (Knauss) was born in 1948. While Jim worked as the traveling salesman for his father’s business, Margaret managed to juggle child raising, homemaking, and playing the piano and pipe organ. It was at this time that her love of Music was combined with her deep Christian Faith and she became the organist at First German Baptist Church (later Trinity Baptist Church) a position she held for more than 50 years, playing for all choir practices, Church Services, and Weddings, Memorial Services and special Church Events as requested. Later, after Jim assumed the Presidency of the family business, she took on an increasing role as Office Manager until her retirement in 1990. After her husband Jim died in 1995, Margaret devoted more of her time to her children and grandchildren, as well as to Church Activities at First Baptist Church in Portland, OR. In 2011, she moved to Rancho Mirage, CA, where she lived with her daughter, Jean, and son-in-law, Chris. Margaret simply loved the desert, the new friends she made, and the spectacular mountain views from her patio. Here she lived with Jean and Chris until she passed away, quietly in her sleep and watched over by loved ones in the early hours of Monday, February 8, 2016 at the beautiful age of 97. Her family and friends will forever remember her kindness, generosity, and devotion to us all. Her's was a life well lived. She is survived by her son, James D. Billeter, Jr.(Delta), daughter, Jean Kathryn Knauss (Chris); grandsons, Ian Olsen and Joshua Billeter, granddaughter, Kaja Knauss; great grandchildren, Braden, Rian, and Finn Olsen and Jack Billeter. Numerous nieces and nephews also survive Margaret. She was preceded in death by her three brothers, Alex, Henry, and Ernest, along with her husband of 53 years, James D. Billeter and great grandchildren, twins Graham and Taylor Olsen. Two of Margaret's favorite Bible Passages: Psalm 95, Verses 1 - 6 Psalm 121, Verses 1 - 8 Contributions in Margaret’s memory may be made to: The Portland Rescue Mission, P. O. Box 3713, Portland, OR 97208-3713 The Children's Cancer Association, 1200 NW Naito Parkway #140, Portland,OR 97209 (503)244-3141