Marie Phyllis Schramm

Marie Phyllis Petersen Schramm passed away on Friday, August 16, 2024, in Olympia, Washington, at the age of 100 years. She was born on November 10,1923 in Antelope, Montana to Nels Christian Petersen and Inger Marie Sorensen. Marie had a large Danish family and was the last surviving sibling of her 6 brothers and 6 sisters.

After Marie graduated from high school in Antelope, Montana, she came out west to join her sister in Tacoma and found her first job at the Ft. Lewis Laundry Office. In November 1944, she joined the Navy and traveled to New York for boot camp and was later stationed at the Chaplain’s Office in San Francisco during WWII. After being discharged in August 1946, she returned to Tacoma to work at Pierce County Welfare as a Clerk and Bookkeeper. Marie enlisted in the Navy again in March 1949 during the Korean War and served in the Navy reserves before being honorably discharged in May 1955. During this time she had the honor of riding on a float in the Puyallup Daffodil Parade in May 1950.

Throughout her single life, Marie loved ballroom dancing and traveling on weekends to the ocean with her friends, camping at Copalis Beach and staying at the Tokeland Hotel. It was on one of these outings that she met her future husband. Marie married Charles H. Schramm (Chuck) on June 11, 1955 under the willow tree at his family dairy farm between Oakville and Elma, Washington. Marie was then enlisted in a boot camp of a different kind – sharpening her cooking and baking skills the Schramm way under the watchful eye of Chuck's mother, also following her guidance when it came to vegetable and flower gardening, canning, and feeding the baby calves. She learned her lessons well, and her baking and cooking truly became her love languages. Marie is famous for her homemade bread and fluffy rolls, as well as her unforgettable pies and cookies. She could whip up plentiful Sunday dinners and delectable farm breakfasts with fresh eggs and cream, all fit for royalty.

Marie also raised chickens and provided fresh eggs to the neighbors, church members, and even the county road crew. The chickens were also made available to the local Future Farmers of America to practice judging for future competitions. Chuck and Marie were active members at Faith Lutheran Church in Elma, Washington.

After retiring from dairy farming in 1988, one of Marie’s great joys was spending time with her three grandchildren, who always kept her on her toes. While caring for her grandkids, she developed a decades-long love of the Seattle Mariners baseball team. Throughout her whole life, Marie remained close with her siblings and their families, spending hours through the years writing hundreds of letters to her family and friends.

Marie is survived by her two children, Charles (Julie DeRuwe) of Olympia, Washington and Heidi Prihoda (Brad) of Elma, Washington along with three grandchildren, Rachel Flink (Nick) of Des Moines, Washington, Chet Prihoda (Shannon) of Boise, Idaho, and Jacqueline Schramm of Olympia, Washington, and numerous nieces and nephews. Marie was preceded in death by her husband Chuck, who passed away in April 1980. Marie had a wonderful ability to remember family history and spent many hours documenting family happenings and capturing family recipes for her immediate and extended family who she cared for dearly.

In lieu of flowers, Marie’s family would like you to consider donating to your favorite charity in her memory. A graveside service will be scheduled for a later date at the Masonic Cemetery in Elma, Washington.