Geraldine "Gerry" M. Stenberg

Geraldine "Gerry" (Olson) Stenberg Gerry passed away in the arms of her loving family on Friday, July 8, 2005. She recently had had heart surgery, and was recuperating when complications from the surgery led to her untimely death. Gerry was the third of six children born in Silverton, Oregon to Peter and Marie Olson. Her siblings were Rex Olson (Silverton, Oregon), Albert Olson (deceased), Peter Olson (Black Diamond, Washington), Donna Scearce, Parkland, Washington, and Ronald Olson (deceased). Her father, Peter, was one of eleven children who emigrated from Norway in the late 1800s. His family was among the first settlers in the Evan’s Valley area near Silverton. Her mother, Marie Britton, also came from a large family which moved here from the Midwest. Peter worked most of his life as a millwright, and her mother was a homemaker. Gerry as stricken with polio at the age of eight. She spent a full year at the Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children in Portland. Afterward, she returned many times for treatment and additional surgeries. Her large extended family helped to provide lodging, transportation and other support as Gerri fought to overcome polio. During her youth, she would pick hops on a relative’s farm. We always enjoyed the stories she told of hop picking. I can almost imagine her yelling “wire down.” She also picked beans and strawberries. After graduating from Silverton High School, she attended Pacific Lutheran College, now known as Pacific Lutheran University, earning a teaching degree shortly after World War II. Her brother, Albert Olson, was killed in France in 1944. Gerri had a lifelong love of singing. Her family was very musical. While attending PLC, she was a member of the choir. She toured the Western states with PLC’s “Choir of the West.” It was at PLC that she met her future husband, Roger Stenberg, who attended PLC after serving in the U.S. Air Force in World War II. The two were married in Silverton, Oregon on July 21, 1947. They moved to Shelton, Washington. Their first child, Ingrid, was born in 1948, followed by Linda in 1950, and Kristen in 1952. They moved to Vashon Island, where both were teachers in the public schools. Gerry was a kindergarten teacher, and Roger taught Junior High. One of the family’s favorite activities was fishing for sea-run cutthroat trout. They moored their boat in Quartermaster Harbor, and fished at every opportunity. Digging for Geoducks and Steamer clams and gathering oysters were other favorite “Island” activities. Relatives enjoyed visiting and helping harvest all the wonderful seafood. Flowers were another thing that Gerry loved. They had beautiful flower and vegetable gardens. Roses and asters were particular favorites of hers. It was always a challenge for Mom when the family went camping in our Volkswagen bug. Three kids in the back seat, a tent tied to the roof, camp stove under the hood and clothes and food tucked in behind the back seat. You really had to know how to pack to get it all in. The Olympic Peninsula, Hood Canal and Canada were favorite camping spots. On outings to Tacoma, Mom would really enjoy one thing on the way to the ferry. If you have ever lived on an island, you know that you are always making a “mad dash” for the ferry. There was one big hump in the road right before the ferry dock and Dad would speed up and fly over it so Mom could have her roller coaster thrill for the week. In 1965, after Ingrid graduated high school, the rest of the family moved to Olympia, Washington where they had purchased 12 acres on Waddell Creek Road. This was really considered rural. There were only three houses between them and Capital Peak. The family lived in a small cabin while their new log house was being built. The whole family helped assist in the building. We carried buckets of sand and gravel down a canyon wall for the water filtration system and sanded and stained logs. Mom cooked meals for the family and the workers on a wood cook stove. This was one hot job. We only had two electrical outlets, one for a fridge and the other for one light. The plumbing was of the “outdoor” variety. We moved into our beautiful log home just in time for Thanksgiving. Mom was very happy to be cooking with electricity. Roger and Gerry joined Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd where they were members for 40 years. Mom was an excellent cook. Desserts were her specialty. There was nothing like her homemade cakes, rhubarb desserts, pies and cookies. A three-layer German Chocolate cake was sure to make your mouth water. Gerry taught school at McLane Elementary and Lincoln Elementary in Olympia. She taught 3rd grade and one time even braved a 3rd-4th split. They enjoyed their hillside home, however there were times when they would actually get snowed in. In 1968, we walked down our steep driveway through two feet of snow. It kept snowing and freezing, until we had nearly three feet. We had to walk up the driveway for almost three weeks. People had a hard time believing how much snow we would get. Town would get four inches and we would get 18. Mom loved the snow and beauty it brought to their place. They acquired 28 more acres to give them an even 40. It is such a beautiful place, with a canyon on one side, giant fir and maples trees surrounding them. Dad built a greenhouse so that Mom could have roses. After retirement, they traveled around the States and visited Scotland, England and Italy. During the 1970s and 80s, Gerry and Roger were blessed with six grandchildren. Chris and Tino were born to Ingrid, Little Roger and Maria were born to Linda, and Sarah and Barry were born to Kristen. In addition, three great grandchildren have recently joined the family, two born to Maria and one to Little Roger. Mom and Dad really enjoyed collecting glass. Depression glass was their first passion. This was followed by many other beautiful kinds of glass. After the Vietnam War, Roger and Gerry became very active in helping refugees from Southeast Asia settle in the Northwest. They sponsored families, helped teach English, provided furniture and clothing and spent countless hours helping these families negotiate their way through various regulatory processes. They opened their home to many children for temporary stays while their families were able to get settled. Many of these families became lifelong friends of Gerry and Roger who became known as Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa by almost all of the refugees. Both Gerri and Roger enjoyed the ocean. In 1980, they purchased land in Chinook, Washington where two of Roger’s sisters lived. With the help of his nephew, Bert, Roger framed a cabin, which he and Gerry completed over the next few years. They enjoyed the cabin for many years until the long trip became too difficult and they sold the property. For years, Gerry and Roger hosted the families for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mom agreed with us girls that the bigger the Christmas tree the better, and with 12-foot ceilings, the sky was the limit. Mom really enjoyed collecting Santa Clauses. The grandchildren always enjoyed the decorations. In the last few years, age slowed their traveling and activities. Fortunately, they had beautiful wildlife to watch right outside their windows, as well as a view of Mt. Rainier. They have had many deer that call their yard home, and have watched many generations raised right outside their back door. The latest addition is a raccoon, who they named Racky. He is already spoiled by daily feeding. This spring, Gerry had open heart surgery to replace a valve and have a bypass. Although the surgery seemed to go well, recovery progressed fairly slowly. She was able to return home briefly but soon it was necessary to return her to a skilled care center to get her on her feet again. There she seemed to show some improvement. Sadly, complications from her surgery swiftly and unexpectedly overcame her. Gerry was a loving wife and mother. She had a great sense of humor, was generous and kind-hearted and loved by her family and friends. We will miss her greatly. The family requests that remembrances be made to the Lutheran World Relief Fund in care of Good Shepherd at the address above.