Esther G. Meader

Esther was born on a farm in Marsh, Montana on August 22, 1930. She was born to Russian immigrants Bertha (Knopp) and Jacob Gaub. She had five sisters and brothers.

Esther attended a one-room schoolhouse with her siblings from first to eighth grade in Cabin Creek, about a mile from their home in the country. In 1950, the family moved to the town of Terry, Montana. She graduated from Terry High School.

Richard Meader was a traveling salesman. He traveled around selling Kitchen Craft cookware. One day, Richard came to the Gaub family farm and did a demonstration. Esther, Helen (Esther’s sister) and their mother watched the demonstration. Afterward, Richard asked Esther if she would be interested in being a dishwasher, and that’s how Esther and Richard met. They were engaged in September 1949 and were married December 18, 1949. For their honeymoon, they drove to Seattle to meet Richard’s family.

The first place they lived was Miles City, Montana where Richard (their first son) was born. In 1952, the family loaded up a trailer and headed back to Seattle. They sold their trailer for a down payment on the home the Meader family grew up in. Esther was 21 years old and Richard was 28 years old. She lived in the house next to Vibert Nursery for 50 years from 1952 to 2002. The house was 70 years old when it was torn down.

The Meader family had chickens, a cow named Goldie, and a family dog named Sheba. Esther collected the eggs, milked Goldie and butchered the chickens.

Esther always had a huge garden. She grew corn, peas, turnips, beans, broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage. She also had a huge rhubarb plant, she picked the rhubarb and made pies. She canned vegetables, pickles and fruit. She made jams and jellies. She also loved the flowers that she planted all around the yard. She had a huge, red rhododendron bush that grew up against the home.

In the late 1970’s, Esther began working outside the home, at Evergreen Vista Nursing Home. She worked there a couple of years and then she was hired to work at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center, as a housekeeper in the environmental services department. She worked at the hospital for 25 years.

Esther loved her family, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She enjoyed the holidays and family gatherings. She was very close with all her siblings.

She is preceded in death by her husband Richard (married 34 years); mother and father Bertha and Jacob Gaub; brothers William, Rueben and Albert; sisters Helen and Almeda; her son Roger, daughter-in-law Julia, and son-in-law Dennis. She is survived by her sons Richard, Robert (Debbie), Rodney and Russell (Colette); her daughters Sandra, Sharon (Dennis), Sherry and Shirley (Keith); her grandchildren Angela (Rob), Paul (Danielle), Jessica, Chrissy(Jacob), Danielle (Travis), Jacob (Mariesa), Justin, Lukas (Alicia), Jennifer (Michael), Jessica and Jamie (C.J.), Kyle and Sean. She is also survived by 15 great grandchildren.

The family would like to thank Peace of Mind Adult Family Home, Kirkland, WA for their loving care of Esther, our sweet mama and grandma, for her last nine years.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Purdy & Walters at Floral Hills, Lynnwood, WA on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at 11:30AM.