Louise Wilhelmina Steiner

Louise Wilhelmina Steiner March 11, 1913 - January 25, 2009 MILWAUKIE - Louise W. Steiner passed away on January 25, 2009 in Milwaukie Oregon at the age of 95. A Celebration of Life memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 31, 2009 at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in southeast Portland. Louise was born the first child of four to Cressie and Bernard Artz on March 11, 1913 in McIntosh, South Dakota and was given the name of Louise Wilhelmina Artz. She played the piano and accompanied her father (who was a fiddler) at dances, starting at the age of 12. She moved to Visalia, California in 1934 and attended College of the Sequoias where she met Matthew Hayes Steiner. They were married on March 5, 1935. The family moved to Salem, Oregon in 1949 where they raised two girls and five boys. Louise was an avid Blazer fan, lover of music, butterflies, flowers, hummingbirds and above all, her family. She enjoyed square dancing, even in her 70's, and always had a beautiful garden, even in later years when it had to be in pots. She read the paper and worked the crossword puzzle every day until a stroke in December 2007 prevented her ability to write. Louise worked as an auditor for the Marion Hotel in Salem, then as secretary for the State of Oregon and Highway Departments before retiring. She was preceded in death by her first child, Joan (Sister Shelia Louise SNJM), in November 1956 and her husband, Matthew, who died in January 1971. She was also preceded in death by her brothers, Bernard (Bud), Arnold (Arnie) and only sister, Cressie (Toots). Survivors include her sons, David (Salem), Gregory (Calgary Canada), Robert (Oak Grove), Stanley (Chattaroy, Wash.), and Gary (Keizer); and daughter, Marie Phillippi (Portland); sixteen grandchildren; twenty-five great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and many devoted nieces and nephews. Louise was a real matriarch and will be missed by all of the family. Please send remembrances to St. Anthony's Church or Serenity Hospice. Arrangements by Wilhelm Funeral Home in Portland.