Erma Dolores Oestreich

Erma Dolores Oestreich, 86, passed away May 13, 2020. Erma was born May 30, 1933 in Bottineau County, North Dakota to John and Anna Pihl. Her family moved to Springdale, Washington when Erma was about 6 years old. When she was a sophomore in high school, she moved to Lind, Washington and graduated from Lind High School in 1951.

Erma attended beauty school following high school. She worked as a men's manicurist in the Davenport Hotel in Spokane and later operated a beauty salon in Lind. Erma lived with her sister Rita in California for a time where she was employed in the Research and Development Department of Hughes Aircraft. She said Howard Hughes required they unfurl and destroy their typewriter ribbons at night, thus preserving any company secrets.

She moved back to Washington and met Pete. They were married January 16, 1958 and lived on the family farm in Ritzville. They had five children: Chris, Kimberlee, Joel, Lisa, and Gina. Erma loved her family and was a wonderful wife and mother. She was skilled at many things including cooking, baking, canning, pickling, sewing, and knitting. Her homemade cinnamon rolls and pies were second to none and are still missed, along with several of her other delicious creations.

Erma was quite a beautiful woman, inside and out. Her lovely skin garnered many, many compliments over the years. She was very intelligent, pragmatic, and possessed an expansive vocabulary. Erma loved music, had a lovely singing voice, and a good sense of humor (she did have to put up with Pete, after all). She loved her Creator, Jehovah, and the Bible's truth. She loved the ocean and enjoyed trips to Hawaii and the Oregon Coast.

Erma was preceded in death by her parents; her sisters Esther Nelson and Norita Bellah; her son Chris; and her husband, Pete. She is survived by her daughter Kimberlee (Randy) Cameron, son Joel (Brigitte) Oestreich, daughter Lisa (Andrew Berg) Oestreich-Berg, and daughter Gina (Matt Sudden) Oestreich, all of Spokane, Washington; sister Arvis Franks, Beaverton, Oregon; brother Gordon (Mary) Phil, Billings, Montana; half-brother Darrel Dirstine, Spokane, Washington; grandchildren Christyn and Michael Oestreich, Mark and Eric Oestreich, and Sarah and Megan Findley; and numerous nieces and nephews. Erma was such a good grandma and loved all her grandchildren very much.

Erma was surrounded by love as she fought against the cruel disease of Alzheimer's. All would probably agree she was one tough cookie.

A memorial service for Erma will be at a later date.