Edna Melcher

Edna Barbara (Walker) Melcher was born in Portland, OR to John and Mary Walker on January 23, 1922.  She passed into the comforting arms of her Savior on July 10, 2019 after a long illness.  She was 97 years old.

Edna was a Portland resident all of her life, until August of 2011, when she moved to Vancouver, Washington at age 89. In spite of the move, she always considered herself an Oregonian. After graduating from Jefferson high school in Portland, she married Adam Melcher.  They were married for 27 years until 1968, when Adam passed away.  They had two children, Norma and Danny.

She worked for Pacific NW Bell (the phone factory, as she called it) for many years.  She worked in Directory, where she helped proof the phone book, and then later in the motor pool.  She retired at age 60, in 1982.

After retirement, Edna took time to travel to Europe, to Brazil, to Hawaii, and to the East Coast for a tour of the Colonial States.

Edna loved reading. Besides her Bible, which she read daily, she loved reading novels and non-fiction alike, and the books she was reading frequently came up in conversation. She rarely visited the doctor, because she had a self-help medical book.

Most important to Edna were her faith and her hairdresser. She loved hats, when they were fashionable, and had quite a collection. She loved to shop for clothes. She always took pride in how she dressed, and she could put together an outfit, which usually included a scarf. She loved scarves and knew every scarf knot in the book.

Her family was important to her. She was known for her apple pie, and also for her pot roast dinners. Many hot/fun summer days were spent around the pool at her Riverwood condo with her children and grandchildren, and friends of her children and grandchildren.

Edna attended East Vancouver Community Church, and in later years moved to Vancouver, Washington to be close to her church and to family.

She is survived by her children, Norma and Dan, her grandchildren, Julie, Ruth, Chrissy and David, 13 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren. Edna was preceded in death by her husband, Adam, her sisters, Dorothy, Rae, Frieda, and Betty, and her brothers, Fred, Pete, Alec, Jack and Johnny."