R. Margaret Mills Effenberger Weis
Beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and aunt, Margaret passed on August 3, 2017 in Santa Barbara, CA. She was born in Tillamook, OR on March 20, 1926 to Archie and Harriett Mills. Margaret was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Frank L. Weis in 2011 and by two of their daughters, Mary Weis Lynch and Julie Weis Womack. She is remembered with love by her family: daughters and sons Judy (John) Ritchie of Santa Barbara, CA, Frank R. (Anne) Weis of Bend, OR, Edward (Diane) Weis of Milwaukie, OR, Gary (Patricia) Effenberger of Happy Valley, OR, James (Grace) Weis of Folsom, CA, Eileen (Steve) Bidwell of Oregon City, OR; 14 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren; and sister Lilah Mills Corwin of Forest Grove OR. Margaret married Robert L. Effenberger in 1944 and was widowed in 1963. In 1968 Margaret and Frank Weis were married and the two families united with eight children. Our family has been blessed to have been taught by the example of this dear one and we are grateful that she lived a very full life. She is missed so very much.
Margaret and Frank’s deep faiths strengthened their relationship, and their devotion to their family was of the greatest importance. Following their marriage, they relocated from Tillamook to Salem, then to Albany, and finally back to Salem, OR where they enjoyed many loving, devoted and happy years. Holidays and family gatherings were favorite occasions. Following Frank’s passing, Margaret relocated to a retirement residence in Clackamas, OR, and then eventually moved to Santa Barbara, CA, to be near her daughter, Judy Ritchie and family. There she enjoyed Wood Glen Hall, a lovely retirement residence, accompanied by her devoted companions Maria and Mary, to whom her family will always be indebted for their love and care. The family also extends their gratitude to the staff at Wood Glen who treated Margaret with genuine kindness and friendliness.
Throughout her life, Margaret’s stunning qualities included her love of life and beauty. She endeavored to do everything right, constantly trying to improve herself. She expressed courage, strength, joy, tenderness, wisdom, loyalty, gratitude, vitality, forgiveness, efficiency, purity and generosity, to name a few. She easily met people, complimenting them, and she loved to laugh. Her loving qualities of joy and beauty greatly enhanced the lives of family and friends. She was especially fond of the holidays, baking and sharing many dozens of cookies at Christmastime. Her cooking and baking had everyone running to the table, never to be disappointed. Meals were never complete without having something sweet, and her sweet tooth belied her trim figure. She grew beautiful flowers and taught others her knowledge of gardening. Her home was beautiful and comfortable and everyone felt welcome. Most importantly, she loved her husband, Frank, their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and especially loved God. She was a member of The First Church of Christ, Scientist and constantly endeavored to live her faith to the fullest.
An excellent student, Margaret attended Maple Leaf School, and then later Tillamook High School where she was inducted into the National Honor Society and graduated in the top ten of her class. She also played the drum in the high school band. After high school she worked at the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office, and later for Warner Music Store where she was afforded the opportunity to become an accomplished organist, giving private lessons and performing for events that included the Tillamook County Dairy Month Princess selection. Prior to their marriage, Margaret was personal secretary to Frank L. Weis at U.S. Bank.
Passionate about promoting women in education, Margaret was a founding member of the PEO Sisterhood in Salem, OR, where she made lifelong friends. Always industrious, she pursued many hobbies including gardening, cooking, china painting, sewing pillow quilts which she sold at consignment shops and gave to family and friends, and making fabric applique note cards which she sold in consignment shops, including Latimer Quilt and Textile Center. In Santa Barbara, she worked with her daughter at the Assistance League where she made many wonderful friends and she felt that her work there contributed toward many worthwhile philanthropic projects. She was awarded a Star pin for her outstanding service. Music being one of her greatest joys, she was invited to join the Ukulele Lulus, playing and singing favorite pieces once a week, and her desire to dance again was fulfilled at two Senior Proms sponsored by the Assisteens, a branch of the Assistance League, at Wood Glen. She was also embraced by friends at her local church and in the community.
Margaret and Frank enjoyed many wonderful travels together, primarily to visit and be with family, and including trips to Europe, Venezuela, Hawaii, fall foliage tours and other travels in the U.S., and frequently enjoyed overnights at the Oregon coast. She was always in awe of the beauty of nature. She had a sense of adventure, always ready to go at a moment’s notice. In later years, she loved nothing more than to ride to the beach, enjoy lunch in the car and watch children. Many children and adults in the Santa Barbara community adopted Margaret as their grandmother and they brought her much joy. Music was a constant source of enjoyment, especially Western and Celtic music and the old standards. She was a devoted Portland Trailblazers fan, loved cribbage, Western movies, cooking, reading and Jeopardy.
A private memorial service for family was held in August in Santa Barbara, overlooking the ocean at Shoreline Park.
Donations may be made in remembrance of Margaret to Latimer Quilt and Textile Center, 2105 Wilson River Loop Road, Tillamook, OR 97141; PEO Chapter ET, c/o Karen Redmond, Treasurer, 3945 Deep Wood Lane, Salem, OR 97304; Tillamook County Pioneer Association, PO Box 992, Tillamook, OR 97141, or the Assistance League of Santa Barbara, 1259 Veronica Springs Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.