Wilma Dorothea (Scharich) Meyer

Wilma Dorothea (Scharich) Meyer was born on July 6, 1918, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to Casper and Dorothea Scharich. She was the third child born to the family which eventually grew to include 10 children. The family moved to Shields, North Dakota, where Wilma continued her schooling. At one point of her young life, the family lived in a sod house! She met Herman Fredrick Meyer and they were married in 1936. Herman and Wilma were living in Billings, Montana, where their son, Donald, was born in 1943. In the mid-1940's they followed many of their family members and permanently settled in Portland, Oregon, where daughter Debra was born in 1950. They lived on NE Church Street, SE 174th Avenue, and finally moved out to Sandy, Oregon, where they bought a 5-acre property with blueberries.

When Wilma and Herman came to Portland, they took in several foster children. Wilma sold Avon products for several years when they lived on SE 174th Avenue. She began working in the school cafeteria in the Lynch School District (now Centennial). After they moved to Sandy in the mid-1960's, she began working in the school cafeterias in the Sandy School District. Wilma and Herman were active members of the Sandy Immanuel Lutheran Church.

After her retirement, she and Herman purchased a small motor home and enjoyed traveling to the coast and back to the Midwest to visit family members. They also enjoyed traveling with the Philadelphians and had several extended tours and cruises. In the late 1980's, they sold their Sandy property and moved to Fairlawn Retirement Community in Gresham. After a couple of years, they decided to live in an apartment for a few years until they needed to be back at Fairlawn. It was during these post-retirement years that in the afternoon they would enjoy a cup of tea while watching "All My Children". When Herman passed away in 2009, Wilma moved into an independent studio apartment at Fairlawn and continued to live there until August of 2022, when she moved to Whitewood Gardens Residential Care Facility.

Wilma is survived by her son, Don and wife Marcia; daughter, Debra (husband, John passed away in 2022); grandchildren, John and wife Stephanie, Trisha and husband Chuck, and Erin and husband Bob; and great-grandchildren, Tori, Tyler, Jackson and Noah. She was predeceased by her husband, Herman in 2009, her infant granddaughter, Kristi in 1975, and eight of her siblings, Fred, Emma, Victor, Ida, Betty, Esther, John, and Lillian. Her brother, Clifford, is the only surviving sibling. Many nieces and nephews also survive.

Wilma passed into eternal glory on Sunday, March 26, 2023, at the age of 104. May she rest in peace.