Phyllis Marie Wade

Phyllis Marie Wade (née Longmore), beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully in Walla Walla, Washington, at the age of 94. She was born on May 2, 1931, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, to Irving Lewis Longmore and Ethel Marilla Pressnall Longmore.

Phyllis grew up alongside her brother, Gordon Irving Longmore, and from a young age embodied the warmth, resilience, and deep love of family that would define her entire life. In 1943 her father began working at a sawmill owned by Harold Wade. It was then, at the age of 13, while picking blackcaps on the property that she met her future husband Harold's son Jim, who was just 12 years old at the time. Their love story would span more than half a century.

Phyllis and Jim were married in 1953 at Jim's Uncle Harold's home in Laurelwood, Oregon. Their wedding day was also the day Jim received his U.S. Army orders. That September, Phyllis gave birth to their first son, Gary Lynn, at the naval hospital in Astoria, Oregon, while Jim was stationed at Fort Sam Houston. For three months, she and baby Gary waited for Jim's return. The young family reunited later that year when they moved to Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington, where their second son, Michael Alan, was born in September 1954. Their youngest son, Ronald Lee, was born on October 13, 1955, just after Jim's discharge from the Army and a return to Oregon.

In Phyllis' words, she had "three precious little boys who were so loved and kept her very busy." She devoted herself to their upbringing with warmth and tireless dedication. During Jim's time in pharmacy school, Phyllis worked at Olson's Nursing Home in Corvallis to help support the family. "We were poor but didn't realize it," she would say. "We got along just fine, and although we couldn't give the boys all of the things we wanted to, they were young and didn't complain!"

In 1969, the family moved to College Place, Washington, into a home rented from Jim's parents. Her own parents soon followed, moving from Portland to be close by, though both sadly passed within a few years. Phyllis and Jim's life together was full of hard work, partnership, and adventure. Together they started their own pharmacy, built a home, managed rental properties, and eventually settled into Wheatland Village after Jim suffered a stroke in 2007.

Phyllis and Jim loved traveling to the Oregon Coast, camping in their trailer, trips to Reno and McDonald's breaks with their friends. Phyllis also loved reading, collecting recipes (and mailing them along with comics to her kids!) and working in the yard. But there was nothing she enjoyed more than playing with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In her later years her favorite activities included coffee breaks with her kids and grandchildren, and play dates with her great-granddaughter Lucie, where they enjoyed hours of imagination play.

Phyllis is survived by her three sons: Gary (Julie), Michael (Carol), and Ron (Freida); eleven grandchildren; and ten great-grandchildren. When you married into the family, you became family to her. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Gordon, and her beloved husband Jim.

In her final words to her family, Phyllis wrote:

"You boys and my 'girls' and all our grandkids have been the joy of our lives. We have been so fortunate! Now the precious little great-grandkids are coming along and I just enjoy them so much. I'm just sorry that Jim didn't live to know them. Each of you have your own special place in my heart!! I love you all more than I can say!!"

Her legacy of love, kindness, and strength lives on in all who knew her.

A late summer family gathering in her honor will be hosted in lieu of a funeral service.

Beyond the Sunset

Beyond the sunset, O blissful morning

When with our Savior heaven is begun

Earth's toiling ended, O glorious dawning

Beyond the sunset when day is done.

Beyond the sunset, no clouds will gather

No storms will threaten, no fears annoy

O day of gladness, O day unending

Beyond the sunset eternal joy.

Beyond the sunset, O glad reunion

With our dear loved ones who've gone before

In that fair homeland we'll know no parting

Beyond the sunset forever more