Joan Marilyn Schmalz

Joan Marilyn Schmalz gently passed away from this earth to join her God and Father in Heaven on November 4, 2016, at 5:35 am, at the Cottage in the Meadow, Yakima, Washington. All of Joan’s children and granddaughters, and her husband, Terry, were with her in her final hours. Joan was 77.

Joan was born in Seattle General Hospital on September 21, 1939, to June A. Schenke (Cox) and Fred E. Schenke.

Joan is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, Terry C. Schmalz, and their two sons, Colin Christopher Schmalz and Curtis Cummins Schmalz, and their daughter and son in law, Erika Lynn and Charlie Morales, who are parents of two wonderful daughters, Reina Lynn Morales and Alejandra (Ali) Terran Morales. Colin lives in Auburn, WA, Curtis in Las Vegas, NV, and the Morales family in Portland, OR.

Joan is also survived by a brother, Richard J. Muir (Margaret A.) of Watsonville, CA, a sister, Barbara Brewster of Tacoma, WA, and a sister, Lois Alexander (Ronald) of Los Angeles, CA, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Joan was raised in Tacoma, WA. Joan attended schools in Tacoma and Lakewood, WA. Joan graduated from Clover Park High School in Lakewood in 1957. She was an outstanding student, an honor graduate. She participated in the student body activities and was on the Clover Park Song Team.

Joan was a world-class figure skater. She began skating around the age of 5 and skated continuously until she retired early in 1958. During those 14 years Joan amassed numerous tiles, honors and awards, participating in singles and pair skating, and ice shows at the Lakewood Winter Club in Lakewood just south of Tacoma, where she trained. Joan practiced almost every morning before and after school and on weekends.

Joan was highly successful in competitive figure skating. In 1955, she was 4th in National Junior Pairs, 2nd in Northwest States Senior Pairs, 4th in Pacific Coast Senior Ladies. She was 4th in National Junior Ladies and 3rd in Pacific Coast Senior Ladies. In 1956, Joan won the United States Junior Ladies Championship. In 1957, Joan placed 2nd in the United States Senior Ladies championship. She placed 3rd in the North American Senior Ladies and 7th in the World Competition Senior Ladies, was a member of the U.S. World Team, and a Gold Medalist.

Joan was expected to be on the 1960 U.S. Olympic Skating team. However, she surprised everyone and retired from competitive figure skating early in 1958, as Joan and Terry had fallen in love, planned to be engaged and started to plan their marriage for early in 1959.

Joan and Terry always considered their marriage to a blessing from God, made in heaven. This blessing was evident early on, particularly after the entire 1961 U.S. World Team perished in a plane crash in February 1961 outside of Prague. Joan would have been 21. Joan and Terry met in high school and it was love at first sight and forever more. Joan had a plan, perhaps not fully known to Terry at the time. Joan was one year ahead of Terry. They would finish school, get engaged, and marry. Joan would work and support Terry while he got a college education and go to law school at the University of Washington. Joan attended some college courses at the University of Puget Sound, but that was not important to her. What was important was marriage, helping Terry and starting a family. Everything worked as Joan planned. Joan and Terry were married on April 4, 1959, in the Little Church on the Prairie, in Lakewood. They lived in Lakewood while Terry went to college. Three years later they moved to Seattle where Terry finished up his 4th year at the University of Washington and attended law school. Joan worked and supported the two of them.

Joan quit work the day Terry graduated from U. of W. Law School in 1965, and from that point on it was Terry’s responsibility to provide for them and their wonderful family which was to follow. Joan and Terry moved to Selah in 1965. Terry joined the law firm of Felthous, Brachtenback and Peters. They lived in Selah, started their family, Colin first, then Curtis followed by Erika. In 1969 they moved to Yakima but Terry continued to practice law in Selah for 23 years, before moving his practice to Yakima to join with Halverson and Applegate.

Joan was a woman with many interests. She happily volunteered her time and efforts. She helped out at Gilbert grade school where their children attended school. Joan was president of the Junior Women’s Century Club, a member of the Yakima Tennis Club, a member of the Yakima Country Club, taught ice skating at the Yakima Ice Arena, taught beginning piano, and led Erika’s Blue Bird group. Joan was a member of First Presbyterian Church, now Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church.

A cousin, Marilyn Schmalz, introduced Joan to the art card-making. Joan loved card-making, and for years made the most elaborate, beautiful works of art one could possibly imagine, until her illness interfered with her ability to be as creative as she desired. Joan loved golf, playing regularly with her friends, and with Terry, at the Yakima Country Club. She was president of the Women’s Division and on the Greens Committee. She worked hard at her game, eventually obtaining a 9 handicap. The many friendships Joan made with her golfing groups are deep, lasting, loving, and forever.

While their children were young, Joan and Terry owned a 37-foot boat, in which they cruised Puget Sound and the British Canadian waters, always as a family. They owned a home in Sunriver, OR, and eventually a beach home on Steamboat Island outside of Olympia, WA, later sold to Terry’s sister and brother-in-law.

In the summer of 2002, Joan was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer. For the next 14 years, Joan waged a tremendous battle against her cancer, to live life as fully as she could, and she did. Joan endured four major surgeries, hundreds of chemotherapy treatments, many radiation treatments, multiple hospitalizations, many other treatments with newer oral cancer drugs, two years of physical therapy, a fractured hip, and all the other related medical issues that go with extensive, life-threatening cancer and cancer treatments. But, notwithstanding all the hardships and setbacks, Joan always maintained a positive attitude never letting her cancer get her down and as a result had good quality of life. Joan played golf, walked miles at a time with Jean Galbraith solving all the problems of the world, enjoyed gardening, played bridge with friends, created hundreds of elaborate, beautiful handmade cards, loved to knit, studied the Bible with special friends, especially with her good friend Sheila Strode, she read widely, maintained her home, visited family in between cancer treatment, and maintained a deep interest in current events and politics. Joan walked all the time with Terry, always holding hands. She never complained about her cancer, not once. Joan lived as Paul says in Philippians 4:13: “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

Mid-way through her battle with cancer, Joan was blessed with the birth of her granddaughter, Reina Lynn Morales, in Portland, OR. Joan and Terry rented a part-time apartment in Portland’s Pearl District to be close to Reina from her birth. Erika and Charlie were wonderfully accommodative, sharing and supportive. For the next six years, Joan and Terry traveled back and forth to Portland in between Joan’s cancer treatments in Yakima – 10 days in Yakima for chemo and 11 days in Portland, each and every month for over six years. Reina named Joan her “Ama” and Terry “PopPop.” Five years later, Erika and Charlie blessed everyone with a second child, Alejandra (AIi). These two wonderful granddaughters gave Joan added incentive, not just once but twice, to fight her disease.

This is true -- Proverb 17:6: “Children’s children are a crown to the aged…” The Proverb continues: “…and parents are the pride of their children.”

Terry and family want to especially thank all of those who provided medical care and services to Joan over the past 14 years. Joan’s principal doctors were Drs. Charles Drescher in Seattle, and in Yakima, Roger Rowles, Thomas Boyd, Thomas Giever, Hamilton Licht, Silvia Labes, and many other doctors who provided care and support to Joan. Every one of the physician assistants, nurses, phlebotomists, aides and staff of every clinic and hospital Joan attended, were wonderfully sensitive, compassionate and loving, as were the nurses and Joan’s physical therapist for over two years, Ann Leupold, at Mountain View Home Health.

Terry wants to thank all of Joan’s numerous friends. You all know who you are. If I try to name you all, I would leave someone out, and that would not be fair. You have been so loyal and devoted and given your love to Joan especially through her years of sickness. You are all amazing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This is scripture Joan loved, 2 Timothy 4:6-10: For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, And the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good Fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but to all Who longed for his appearing.

And this, from 1 Corinthians 14: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it “does not boast … Love rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails … Now I see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

A private burial service will occur during the morning on November 18, 2016, at Terrace Heights Memorial Park. Joan’s Memorial Service and Celebration of Life will be 1 pm Friday, November 18th at Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church, 9 S. 8th Ave., Yakima, with a reception immediately following in the Garden Room.

Memorial contributions may be made in Joan’s memory to North Star Lodge, and to Cottage in the Meadow, both through The Memorial Foundation, 2701 Tieton Drive, Yakima, WA, 98902, or to Joan M. Schmalz Memorial Scholarship at Perry Technical Institute, 2011 W. Washington Ave., Yakima, WA 98902, or to a charity of your choice.