Miriam Straayer Hjelte

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Feb 5, 1926 – May 11, 2018

 

Miriam was born the youngest of 5 sisters in the family farmhouse on F Road in Grand Junction, Colorado to Neil and Nellie Straayer. After a childhood spent on the farm under the tutelage of one very austere mother and 4 older sisters, she graduated valedictorian of the Class of 1943 from Fruitvale High School.

During the war she got a job at the phone company as a switchboard operator. In April of 1947, there was a telephone operator strike that lasted about a month. While Miriam was on the picket line, as she described it, an automobile full of hooligans drove by to whistle at the ladies. One of those hooligans by the name of Harold (Hal) Hjelte, was smitten and asked Miriam out on a date. They were married 2 months later on June 27, 1947.

Hal pursued his profession of optometry while Miriam continued in her career at the phone company. Soon Harold found himself with a good job opportunity in Seattle, WA and they left the farm for a new life on the West Coast. After a brief stay in West Seattle, they purchased a home in Bellevue, Washington.

In 1962 they welcomed their first child, a daughter, Val Anne Beth. Miriam left her job at the phone company, where she had worked her way up to management, to raise her daughter. In 1964 their son Garth Audie was born. They purchased a brand-new home in Redmond where Miriam raised her children.

When Val Anne and Garth reached middle school, Miriam rejoined the phone company as a directory assistance operator and then as a clerk until she retired in 1988. She lost Hal suddenly and unexpectedly on January 5, 1991. After a difficult transition to widowhood, Miriam found herself in volunteer work for the Bellevue Symphony and at the Redmond Senior Center. She took trips, spent time with friends, and bowled for years in a women's league.

In 2008, Miriam's health issues began to take a toll. Her daughter Val Anne assumed a caretaker role visiting her home in Redmond 4 days a week. In 2014, advancing dementia made it too dangerous for Miriam to live by herself. Val Anne moved Miriam up to Port Townsend to live with her and her husband, Mark Welch. Miriam suffered a fall on March 23 and complications from that, on top of all her other health issues, were too much for her frail body. She passed at 5:35 pm, May 11th with her daughter at her side, at Lifecare Center (Kah Tai).

Miriam was an outgoing, cheerful and clever woman who charmed everyone who met her. Although dementia robbed her of many things, she always let it be known that the funny, positive lady was in there somewhere. She still came up with some unexpected zingers to surprise her family whenever their guard was down.

Miriam leaves behind daughter Val Anne Beth Welch, son-in-law, Mark Welch, step-grandson Graham Welch of Port Townsend; and son Garth Audie Hjelte, daughter-in-law Loyda Hjelte and their children, Victoria Aurora Hjelte, Alysia Jacqueline Hjelte, and T.J. Hjelte of Spring Hill, Tennessee. She also leaves behind her sisters Lois Burns of Grand Junction, Colorado, and Ramona DePugh (aka Lillian Greene) of New York, New York. Krina Cluff and Joy Shreve, two of her older sisters, preceded her in death.

No services will be held. Miriam's ashes will be scattered on Lopez Island at a later date. Memorial gifts in Miriam's name can be made to Jefferson Hospice and the Jefferson County Humane Society. Many sincere thanks to the nurses and doctors of Jefferson Healthcare, San Juan Villa Memory Care, and the beautiful, caring angels at Kah Tai. 

 

Mom, it was quite a ride, wasn't it? You went from being a Mom to my teenage arch-nemesis, and eventually to my best friend forever. Then you became my child. When I started managing your affairs in 2008, I had no idea where this journey would take us. We went down some bumpy roads but we got through it, didn't we? Not many people can say they had the kind of relationship with their mother that you and I had, and it will always be one of the greatest gifts of my life. There was sacrifice, but I gained so much. You taught me the true meaning of life with your guidance and, ultimately, on our journey to your final destination. You kept me on the right path with your uncompromising expectations of me and bailed my butt out when I needed it. You helped make me the person I am today. I am eternally grateful and I love you forever. Your daughter, Val Anne.