Birth date: Mar 8, 1926 Death date: Jul 6, 2016
Mrs. Wilma Jeanne Swartz-Zulauf, age 90, passed away Wednesday morning, July 6, 2016. Wilma was born March 8, 1926 in Marshfield, OR to H. Dewey, DDS and Gladys K. (Rapp) Wilson. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Music from th Read Obituary
During the time I lived in Muskegon (1971-1988) Wilma Jean and Al were kind friends. I was a guest in there home often and developed friendships with their children. My mother, Alene Hunt, and my sister, Sharon Mule', join me in expressing sympathy to Wilma Jean's children and their families.
I was sitting at my new desk in my new office, it was my first week at Forest Park Covenant Church, and in walks this intimidating tiny figure, “I hear you don’t have a musical degree, or a degree of any kind,” she said.
It was one of those pivotal moments, this was a test! Who was this lady, anyway?!
I got up and met her in my doorway and shook her hand, “Yes,” I said, “Isn’t it wonderful how God calls us into his service from many different paths?”
She wouldn’t let go of my hand, instead she put her other hand on my forearm and said, “Yes, it is wonderful.”
And that began an amazing friendship with a sweet elder that I will always cherish. To bear witness to such a life, and to be a part of a special adventure between her and her husband was one of the sweetest blessings of my ministry life.
I’ll miss you Wilma Jean.
Love,
Christopher White
Each year for the last 5 years, we would drive from our winter camping spot in Mesa AZ to Casa Grand to meet with Dwight and cousin Wilma Jeanne where they wintered with Wilma Jeanne's daughter Amanda.
The first year we met Dwight at Amanda's they were excited about their upcoming summer marriage at Wilma Jeanne's home church in Muskegon. They shared with us how they had been college sweethearts and had reconnected at a college reunion at PLU.
It was so fun to see their love for each other and each of them were a delight to visit with.
This year when we visited them it was a couple days after the big family 90th birthday celebration for Wilma Jeanne. Understandably they were both tired but they wanted to go out to lunch with us, as had been our tradition, and afterwards they invited us in the house for leftover birthday cake. They were both still sharp at 90. We shared the pictures that we took with our phone with Wilma Jeanne on her smart phone and I answered a couple of questions she had about it. She wanted me to show her how to be friends with a cousin on Facebook and she succeeded in connecting with her. 😃
He had been diagnosed with cancer the first year that they married but I think their love (and prayers) for each other carried them through the treatments and whatever else needed to be done. Her comment when we saw her this year was "we've had five years together" and she was grateful for each one of them. I think neither one of them had expected to have that much time.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dwight and the rest of the family. He has great faith in God as did Wilma Jeanne and that is reassuring.
Wilma Jeanne had many noteworthy accomplishments in her lifetime and she was a wonderful musician and teacher. I will miss our yearly gatherings.
Love,
Carol and Hans Mizee
