Back To Oregon...A Tribute

It has definitely been a week were I have wished on more than one occasion I could be back in Oregon, or that in some insane way the states of Oregon and Virginia could be far closer than being on opposite coasts from one another!

This weekend marked the 10 year anniversary of my graduation from Pendleton High School…the Buckaroos of 1998 gathered back home in P-town for what I understand was quite the reunion…complete with Pendleton Whisky and all sorts of shenanigans worthy of the class of ’98. Oh how I wish I could have been there! I must admit it was quite a relief to find out the class of ’98 reunion went on as a celebration and not a re-creation of my mother’s 18^th Birthday bash for me…to make a long story short it was a fictional 10 year reunion of the class of ’98 that just happened to coincide with my “funeral” complete with casket and pall bearers. The guests dressed as they saw themselves 10 years down the road (or what they thought they would be like in 2008…boy were most of them off and thankfully so was my mom!) the best part was after the casket had been rolled in by the pall bearers the “spell” was broken by my best friend rising out of the casket and in her best Marilyn Monroe impression led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday.” It was quite the birthday, indeed!

Work is going well and honestly I wouldn’t trade my job for anything in the world…but sometimes as the Broadway Calls song BACK TO OREGON says, “I want to run back to Oregon. Fall every tree that blocks me from my street…” And trust me there are a lot of trees that block my way! I miss my friends, my family, the big outdoors, horizons, views, and stars in the sky at night…those are the hardest things to live without right now. It is difficult to admit but I really wish I could have been there to see my old classmates if nothing else than to re-connect with old friends. I miss having friends around like the ones I had in Bend, to play softball or go exploring with…friends like my best one to go and see a show at Center Stage or go out to a local night spot for food and drinks.

I really miss the outdoors and scenery that Oregon has to offer…here in Virginia I can’t even see across the street due to all the growth of indigenous and non-indigenous plant life that choke out the sky and horizons. My dad, sister, and brother-in-law, and my dad’s dog just came down from the Eagle Cap Wilderness, one of my most favorite places to go and hike and campout. With all the high, glacier lakes and the scenery it is one of my most favorite places to go in Eastern Oregon. Needless to say I am a bit jealous and wish I could have taken Portia so we could have tagged along with all of them!

I miss my family…all of them…it is hard living this far away from home, where it is very difficult to “go home” for the weekend. This week my family lost a big piece…a piece of our family and our history. My great-grandmother Zacharias passed away, or as my Father put it “she crossed over the River Jordan.” Great-Grandma Martha was a loving, wonderful great-grandmother and I feel very fortunate to spend nearly 29 years on this earth with her as her great-grandson…I realize that is an honor not many people are blessed with. She will be missed greatly and I am sad I will be unable to travel to Milton-Freewater to attend the service this Tuesday. My heart will be there no matter what.

For those of you who didn’t get to know her this was my Great-Grandmother Martha Schindler Zacharias:

Aug. 21, 1941-July 23, 2008
Former Milton-Freewater resident Martha R. Zacharias, 93, of Salem died July 23, 2008, at her home.

Graveside service will be Tuesday, July 29, at 11 a.m. at the Milton-Freewater Cemetery with Tim Zacharias officiating. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Monday, July 28, from 9 to noon, 1 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

Mrs. Zacharias was born August 21, 1914 to John and Rachel Wall Schindler in McCluskey, North Dakota. She spent the first years of her life on the Schindler farm in McCluskey. The family then moved to Fargo, N.D., where her father worked on the railroad.

In 1920 the family moved to Startup, Wash., and then to Milton-Freewater in 1926. She grew up and attended schools in Milton-Freewater. She married Eugene Zacharias in Walla Walla, Wash. on March 12, 1931. The couple lived in the Ferndale area near for several years before moving to Enterprise in 1943. They farmed and ranched for many years before moving to Portland, where she was employed as a hospital cook at the Oregon Health Sciences University and Kaiser Permanente hospitals. After retirement, they moved to Hubbard, Oregon, where they lived for a number of years.

Mrs. Zacharias enjoyed flower gardening, homemaking, quilting and embroidery. She especially enjoyed helping her daughter-in-law, Gwen, with ceramics and attending the Haines Baptist Church where her son Eugene was a pastor. She had been an active member in the Rebekah Lodge in Joseph.

She is survived by four sons, Robert Zacharias of Joseph, Eugene V. Zacharias Jr. of Baker City, John Zacharias of Salem and Bill Zacharias of Oregon City; one daughter, Patricia Zacharias of Salem; two sisters, Adeline Stephens of Milton-Freewater and Gladys Hutchinson of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada; 13 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, 12 great-great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband on Jan. 21, 1994; a brother, Albert Schindler; a sister, Regina McLane; grandson Neil Zacharias and great-great-granddaughter, Charley Patricia Jenkins.

Memorial contributions for Mrs. Zacharias may be made to the March of Dimes through the Munselle-Rhodes Funeral Home, 902 S. Main, Milton-Freewater, Oregon 97862.