Obituary for Sue Anne Willke
Sue Anne (Goetz) Willke died October 17, 2021 in Sun City, AZ. She was nearly 85 years old. She was born November 4, 1936 to John F. Goetz and Florence (Kiefer) Goetz. She married Carl (Chuck) Willke on June 14, 1958 in Madison, WI.
She is survived by her sons Mark (Lisa) Willke of Portland, OR and Douglas (April) Willke of San Tan Valley, AZ and daughter Elizabeth Willke of Glendale, AZ; granddaughters Monica and Marissa Willke in OR; grandson Zachary Tahtinen in AZ; brother-in-law Harold (Nancy) Willke of Pontiac, IL; eight nieces and nephews; and several cousins. Her parents, brother (Philip Goetz) and husband preceded her in death.
Sue graduated from West High School in Madison, WI in 1954 and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. She taught at Marquette School in Madison, WI for the 1958-1959 school year and at Harrison Hill School in Fort Wayne, IN for the 1959-1960 school year. She spent the years 1960-1977 raising her children and caring for her family. In 1977 she began teaching again at Butte Creek School near Silverton, OR and continued there until she retired in 1996. Sue and her husband then moved to Hood River, OR, where she volunteered at Westside School and also served as a substitute teacher from 1997-2000.
She belonged to Hood River Valley Christian Church, was a communion preparer, choir member, elder, member of the Prayer Shawl Ministry and volunteered in the church Thrift Shop. She also was a volunteer driver for the Oregon Partnership Team, volunteered at FISH Food Bank and was a member of the Oregon Retired Educators Association.
Sue enjoyed entertaining family and friends, playing cards and games, camping, listening to classical music, helping with the yard work and was an avid reader.
In 2000, Sue and Chuck began spending winter months in the Phoenix, AZ area and eventually bought a house there with their daughter Beth that had guest quarters where they could stay during their time in the area. Sue began volunteering at Arrowhead Elementary School where her grandson Zach attended. In 2015, she and Chuck moved to Newberg, OR to be closer to their sons during the summers. In 2016, Sue and Chuck moved to a Sun City, AZ retirement community full time where she participated in many activities and made lots of friends.
A memorial service was held in the auditorium at Sue and Chuck’s retirement community, ‘The Palms at Sun City’, on Sunday November 7, with Pastor Doug Wright officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Sue’s honor to the Hood River Valley Christian Church, and sent to Anderson’s Tribute Center, 1401 Belmont Ave, Hood River, OR 97031. Memorials will be directed to the church choir that Sue thoroughly enjoyed being a part of. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
She is survived by her sons Mark (Lisa) Willke of Portland, OR and Douglas (April) Willke of San Tan Valley, AZ and daughter Elizabeth Willke of Glendale, AZ; granddaughters Monica and Marissa Willke in OR; grandson Zachary Tahtinen in AZ; brother-in-law Harold (Nancy) Willke of Pontiac, IL; eight nieces and nephews; and several cousins. Her parents, brother (Philip Goetz) and husband preceded her in death.
Sue graduated from West High School in Madison, WI in 1954 and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. She taught at Marquette School in Madison, WI for the 1958-1959 school year and at Harrison Hill School in Fort Wayne, IN for the 1959-1960 school year. She spent the years 1960-1977 raising her children and caring for her family. In 1977 she began teaching again at Butte Creek School near Silverton, OR and continued there until she retired in 1996. Sue and her husband then moved to Hood River, OR, where she volunteered at Westside School and also served as a substitute teacher from 1997-2000.
She belonged to Hood River Valley Christian Church, was a communion preparer, choir member, elder, member of the Prayer Shawl Ministry and volunteered in the church Thrift Shop. She also was a volunteer driver for the Oregon Partnership Team, volunteered at FISH Food Bank and was a member of the Oregon Retired Educators Association.
Sue enjoyed entertaining family and friends, playing cards and games, camping, listening to classical music, helping with the yard work and was an avid reader.
In 2000, Sue and Chuck began spending winter months in the Phoenix, AZ area and eventually bought a house there with their daughter Beth that had guest quarters where they could stay during their time in the area. Sue began volunteering at Arrowhead Elementary School where her grandson Zach attended. In 2015, she and Chuck moved to Newberg, OR to be closer to their sons during the summers. In 2016, Sue and Chuck moved to a Sun City, AZ retirement community full time where she participated in many activities and made lots of friends.
A memorial service was held in the auditorium at Sue and Chuck’s retirement community, ‘The Palms at Sun City’, on Sunday November 7, with Pastor Doug Wright officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Sue’s honor to the Hood River Valley Christian Church, and sent to Anderson’s Tribute Center, 1401 Belmont Ave, Hood River, OR 97031. Memorials will be directed to the church choir that Sue thoroughly enjoyed being a part of. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.