CoraMarie Weddle

CoraMarie Weddle, a resident of Petaluma for 35 years and a beloved Mendocino County educator, passed away peacefully on September 28 at Orchard Park Assisted Living and Memory Care Community in Clearlake. She is survived by son Mark and wife Karen, daughter Marion Grant and husband Frank, and four grandchildren, Jessica, Scott, and Carolyn Weddle, and Frank Grant III, and two great grandchildren, Gabriel and Leo Grant. CoraMarie was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1920. Her family moved to San Jose where she attended elementary school, high school, and San Jose State, where she earned her bachelor's degree and elementary school teaching credential. CoraMarie began teaching in Bishop, California. Shortly thereafter, a chance meeting at the LA Greyhound bus depot led to an acquaintanceship with a University of Idaho forestry student from Pasadena named Arthur "Jack" Weddle. She and Jack were married in 1944. Following World War II, CoraMarie accompanied her husband during his career with the U.S. Forest Service. From 1951 to 1955, they lived at Seiad Valley, Happy Camp, and Canby in Northern California. In 1955, they moved to Eel River Ranger Station on the Mendocino National Forest, 13 miles east of Covelo. From 1955 to 1963, CoraMarie taught at Round Valley Indian Reservation Elementary School and later at Round Valley Elementary School. In 1963, the family moved to Ukiah where CoraMarie taught kindergarten at Frank Zeek Elementary School. CoraMarie retired from teaching after she and Jack moved to Fresno in 1971. In 1975, they moved to Petaluma, where she resided until her passing. (Jack passed away in 2001.) CoraMarie will be remembered as a "kind, gentle soul" with many friends spanning multiple decades. She was a superb cook and a gracious hostess. She loved music and was a Santa Rosa Symphony season ticket holder, attending symphony concerts until the last years of life. Proud of her Danish heritage, CoraMarie joined the Petaluma Danish Sisterhood Lodge and was an active member for 31 years. She was also active in the American Association for University Women, Delta Kappa Gamma, an honorary society of women educators, and the American Field Service, an involvement that started in 1964 when the family hosted an exchange student from Salzburg, Austria. Services will be held October 23 at 11:00 AM at the United Church of Christ, 825 Middlefield Dr., Petaluma. If desired, memorial contributions may be made to the United Church of Christ, Hospice, or to an organization or charity of your choice. CoraMarie loved the symphony, Public Broadcasting, national parks, and other organizations supporting wildlife and youth.