Olive Alice Winckler

Olive was born on February 4, 1931 as Olive Alice Burril in Toppenish, WA to Bert and Alice Burril. Olive grew up in Toppenish and graduated from Toppenish High School in 1949. From there she worked at the movie theatre in Toppenish, attended secretarial school in Yakima and worked at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

Olive met her future husband Leonard on a blind date on December 4, 1948. Two years later on December 3, 1950, they were married in Zillah where she became a member of the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Wisconsin Synod for the rest of her life. Olive and Leonard were blessed with four children, Gary, Dave, Paulette, and Dan. They were doubly blessed with ten grandchildren, twenty-three great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

Olive led a full life, at times working on the family farm, working as secretary for the Yakima County Farm Bureau for twenty years and Band Booster president at Zillah High School. She always managed to stay very busy. She enjoyed traveling with Leonard to many interesting locations in the US. Olive was an excellent cook, who set a beautiful table for family, and often for friends. Her family has many memories of meals shared that were prepared with love.

After retirement from the family farm, Leonard and Olive ran a u-pick blueberry patch. Due to this endeavor, her great-grandchildren came to know her as "Grandma Blueberry"; an affectionate name she carried proudly.

Olive was preceded in death by her husband, Leonard; her parents, Bert and Alice Burril; three brothers (Vern, Bill and Bert), and one sister (Doris). She is survived by two sisters (Myra Winckler, widowed, of Eltopia, WA and Linda Remly, widowed, of Mesa, AZ), children Gary (Ginger) of Coeur d'Alene, ID; Dave (Marji) of Pasco, WA; Paulette White (Greg) of Kennewick, WA; Dan (Donna) of Zillah, WA. Surviving grandchildren are Kurt Winckler (Emma) of Tucson, AZ; Rachel Elsner (Tom) of Louisville, KY; Matthew Winckler (Mystie) of Moscow, ID; Barbara Braendlein (Austin) of Kent, WA; Emma McKay (Mike) of Moses Lake, WA; Cameron White (Cajsha) of Kennewick, WA; Marcie Perez (Miguel) of Kennewick, WA; Dani Alliston (McKay) of Moxee, WA; Daria Work (Brandon) of Blaine, TN; Drew Winckler (Tiffany) of Yakima, WA. She is also survived by her twenty-three great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at Valley Hills Funeral Home at 607 2nd Ave., Zillah, WA 98953 on Tuesday, August 26th, at 11:00 a.m.