Winifred May

03/20/1931 - 05/13/2011

MAY, Winifred (Sprute)

Born March 20, 1931, on the Camas prairie, Wynn passed away on May 13, 2011, in Lake Oswego, Oregon. During her long life, she lived all over the country and traveled the world. This week, she will be laid to rest near her father, mother and brother in Idaho.
The sixth of seven children born to Andrew and Angelika Sprute, Wynn grew up surrounded by love on her family's farm in Cottonwood, Idaho. After finishing high school at St. Gertrude's Academy, Wynn worked as an aide at the Cottonwood hospital. That experience inspired her to complete her nurse's training at Sacred Heart School of Nursing in Spokane, graduating in 1954. Her loving and giving nature made nursing a true vocation for her, and she would continue to find joy in caring for others until the last days of her life.
Married in 1964 to David May in Portland, OR, Wynn started raising a family as she and Dave moved all over the country. The family settled in Walla Walla in 1979, where Dave taught at Whitman College. Wynn found work at St. Mary's Hospital and continued her career there until her retirement in 1993, when she moved to Pennsylvania. Although she worked in many departments at St. Mary's, she took great pride in having set up and run the same-day surgery unit there.
Wynn's health took a turn for the worse in 1998. For the remainder of her life, she faced physical challenges related to a degenerative brain disorder that sapped her strength and made daily tasks a challenge. In 2002, Wynn and Dave returned to the Northwest again, moving to Canby, OR, near their daughter Kate and her family. Having settled at last, Wynn was surrounded by family until the end of her life.
Wynn is survived by her husband Dave, of Canby, OR; daughter Lisa of Houston; son David and his wife Monica, of Spokane; Kate and her husband Lloyd Hoots, of West Linn, OR; Sarah and her husband Randy Stiger of El Paso; and five grandchildren. She is also survived by five siblings, Martha (Pete) Markarian, Richard (Barbara) Sprute, both of Spokane; Ralph (Marie) Sprute, Elaine Schumacher, both of Cottonwood; and Robert Sprute of Naples, Florida as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial mass will be celebrated at St. Gertrude's Chapel on Wednesday at 10:30 in Cottonwood, ID. Interment will follow at the Keuterville Cemetery, with a reception immediately after. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.