Tirza S Williams Obituary (1923

Tirza S. Williams died quietly in her sleep June 22, 2018, age 95. She was born in Spokane, Washington, March 1, 1923 to Lee and Margaret Smith. After graduating from high school in Spokane she attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and graduated with a BA in chemistry. She traveled to the San Francisco area where she went to work in a refinery as part of the war effort. She met her husband Dale, who was similarly employed as a chemical engineer at the Tidewater Martinez refinery, and they were married in 1946. They returned to the Yakima Valley in 1947, living in Parker Heights, where they grew apples and pears, until their retirement in 1999 when they moved to Windcrest Villa in Yakima. For many years they enjoyed winters by the ocean near San Diego. Dale passed away in 2005. Tirza enjoyed gardening both in Parker Heights and at Windcrest. While in Parker Heights she shared this enthusiasm with Cathy Peters and continued to see Cathy and Chuck after moving to Yakima. She was very involved with developing plantings and landscape design at the Yakima Country Club for more than 20 years, working closely with Course Superintendent Rob Robillard. She became friends with Doug Halvorson who shared interests in food and landscaping while living at Windcrest which was home for 16 years. In late 2016 she moved to Highgate Senior Living where she received expert and compassionate care from all the staff. She is survived by her son C. Donald Williams, daughter in law Cathy Williams and grandson James Williams. She is also survived by grandson David Williams, his spouse Ariah Kidder, and great granddaughter Charlotte Williams. She is also survived by her sister Peggy Shelton and her two sons, Lee Shelton and Tip Shelton. .