Margaret Wittmayer

Margaret (Halverson) Wittmayer, 94, passed peacefully at home in Ocean Park, Washington on February 2, 2013. Margaret was born October 21, 1918 in Montevideo, Minnesota, the daughter of Alfred and Hazel (Runchey) Halverson. Margaret was the youngest child with three older brothers: Quinn, Ward, and Vance Halverson. The family relocated to Aurora, Colorado where Margaret's mother died of tuberculosis in 1922. Shortly after her mother's death the children returned to Montevideo where all four children were raised by their grandparents. They all graduated from Montevideo High School. Margaret won a camera while in school and became an avid photographer. She saved her photographs in chronological albums which are still with her family. She loved her grandparents so very much. Following high school Margaret moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and attended school and worked in a bank in Minneapolis. She and four close girlfriends rented a house together for five years! Margaret loved snow skiing in Minnesota and, courageously, jumping horses when she actually broke her back. She also immensely enjoyed playing tennis as well as archery and shooting. While in Minneapolis, Margaret belonged to the "Chit Cat Club", a group or girls that had too much fun, and the Hob Knob Ski Club. Margaret relocated to Kelso, Washington in 1947 where she worked for a lawyer as a stenographer in courtroom trials. Soon she met the "love of her life", Fred Emil Wittmayer. They were married August 19, 1949 in Longview, Washington. Following a few moves in Oregon they settled in the Beaverton, Oregon area where Margaret worked and retired from Tektronix Inc. as the telephone PBX operations supervisor. She then pursued real estate for five years after her retirement from Tek. For many years the family vacationed every summer in Florence, Oregon at Mercer Lake, where they all learned to fish, swim, and water ski. This tradition continued with all the grandchildren. Margaret and Fred enjoyed RV travel also. They often visited family and friends in California, Arizona and Texas during the winter months. They also traveled to Canada, Mexico and Europe. Margaret was a very wonderful mother, well loved by so many, and will be deeply missed. Margaret is survived by her sons Woodrow Robert Wittmayer of Powell Butte, OR and Craig Vincent Wittmayer of Tualatin, OR; daughter Marty Jean (Wittmayer) Blount of Ocean Park, WA; grandchildren Shannon Elizabeth Blount of Missouri, Eric Andrew Wittmayer of Portland, OR and Trisha (Wittmayer) Bernard of Vancouver, WA; and great-grandchildren River and Wren Blount, Collin and Ethan Wittmayer and Kaley and Kori Bernard. She was pre-deceased by her husband Emil Fred Wittmayer who passed August of 1996; daughter Jessie Eleanor Smith who passed in 1945; brothers Quinn Halverson (1994), Ward Halverson (1998) and Alfred Vance Halverson (1982); mother Hazel (Runchey) Halverson (1922) and father Alfred Halverson (1958). The memorial service is open to friends and family will be held Sunday, February 24, 2012, 1:00 PM at Pastor Marty Cole's Ocean Park Community Church located at 26709 Vernon Ave., Ocean Park, WA 98640. (Just keep heading north on Vernon when you are going past Jack's Country Store). Memorials are suggested to the South Pacific County Humane Society, PO Box 101, Long Beach, WA 98631 or the Boys and Girls Club of the Long Beach Peninsula, PO Box 1172, Long Beach, WA 98631. Margaret's guestbook is available on-line at www.penttilaschapel.com.