Vera Alice Zuercher Obituary (1923

Vera Alice (Waine, Anderson) Zuercher was born on February 26, 1923, in Hanna, Alberta, Canada, the oldest of four children of Louis and Valletta (Wagner) Waine. She was raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, where she attended the Academy of Our Lady of Sion and graduated in the class of 1940. She attended Holy Cross Hospital School of Nursing in Calgary, Alberta, and received her nursing diploma in 1944. She met her first husband, Arthur (A.G.) Anderson, in 1939 while on summer vacation at her maternal grandmother's home in Rainier, OR. This was the beginning of a six-year courtship by letter and eventually led to their marriage on October 14, 1944. They had seven children: Francine (Fran), Arthur (Gary), Valerie, Peter, Stephen, Marianne, and Therese. The family lived in Clatskanie, OR until 1957, when they moved to Eugene, OR. In 1969 Vera and her children returned to the Columbia River area and moved to St. Helens, OR. Vera met her second husband, John A. Zuercher, through her brother, Robert (Bob) Waine. John and Bob were long-time members of the 234 th Army Band, and Vera first met John in the early 1950's when the band's bus would stop in at the Clatskanie home. Vera and John married on July 9, 1977, at St Matthew Catholic Church in Hillsboro. They made their home in Hillsboro for 35 years. John passed away in November 2018. Vera was a single mother for many years and at the same time was a successful and innovative health professional. She was co-owner of Anderson Funeral Home and Ambulance Service in Clatskanie (1945 to 1957), and even after selling the business she maintained a valid Funeral Director's license for close to 50 years. In Clatskanie, she also worked as a nurse at the local hospital, multiple doctors' offices, and as a Supervisory Nurse at the Beaver Ammunition Storage Depot. When the family moved to Eugene, she worked during the summers as a staff nurse for Sacred Heart Hospital, McKenzie Willamette Hospital, and several doctors' offices. During the academic year, she was a full-time staff RN for University of Oregon Student Health Services. While in Eugene, Vera was a founding member of the first home health agency in Lane County and served as the agency's Nurse Director. She left Eugene for St Helens/Portland in 1969 to become a Medicare surveyor with the Oregon State Health Division. Over the following years Vera's career advanced at the Health Division. She worked as a supervisor and manager for several community-based programs, including public health nursing, health facilities, and acute-care programs. Vera retired from the Oregon State Health Division in October 1986, only to begin work as a consultant for various health care facilities and organizations, providing advice and technical assistance in management and quality assurance. She also volunteered her expertise with VISTA, the Oregon Hospice Association, and as a volunteer auditor for the Healthy Start Program of Washington County. Vera was an active participant in music ministry, playing the organ and singing as a choir member at Catholic churches in Clatskanie, Eugene, St. Helens, and Hillsboro. She took up genealogy after her retirement and loved sharing her research with her extended family. She enjoyed the finer points of arts and crafts and was an avid reader, rarely without a book by her side. She was an energetic member of The Magnificent Seven Writing Group, an ensemble of seven friends and writers who met monthly for several decades to take on short writing assignments and seriously critique each other's writing. She enjoyed cooking but didn't always adjust to preparing meals for just two, preferring instead to cook in large family-style quantities. Her dinners at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other family events were legendary. Vera liked to travel throughout North America and would often tailor her schedule around visits with family and friends. She especially enjoyed the annual trip to Hawaii with John, and they welcomed many relations and acquaintances to join in their fun. She raised beautiful roses and was a test gardener for Jackson & Perkins She loved her grandchildren and great grandchildren and actively participated in their lives. She is preceded in death by her first husband A.G. , her second husband John, her parents Louis and Valletta Waine, her two brothers Patrick and Robert Waine, and her three sons Gary, Peter, and Steve. She is survived by her sister, Bertha Sherlock of Scappoose, OR; four daughters: Fran Anderson of Aloha, OR; Valerie Anderson of Atlanta, GA; Marianne Anderson of Antelope; CA, and Therese (Tom) Wavrin of Medford, OR; thirteen grandchildren; and eighteen great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the American Cancer Society's Oregon Division. To ensure the Oregon Division is credited, please send checks to: American Cancer Society, PO Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123 with "restrict to Oregon" in the memo line.