Hildegarde Mary DeGoede: 1932-2020

Hildegarde Mary DeGoede, 87, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, sister and friend passed away, April 2, 2020, in Chehalis, Wash., surrounded by family.

She was born Aug. 16, 1932, in Chino, Calif., to Swiss/German immigrant parents, Walter and Josephine Rohrer. One of four children, Hildegarde was the first girl born to the Rohrer family line in 100 years. She grew up on the family dairy farm, attended schools in Chino and graduated high school in 1950.

While still in high school, her cousin brought home a young Dutchman visiting from Washington State. Just a couple years later on May 5, 1951, she would marry him and move to the Skagit Valley with her new husband, Hank DeGoede.

There they established a bulb farm and raised their family of six children. In 1976, they moved the operation to Mossyrock, Wash., where they farmed for many years with their sons.

Although the farm was a big part of Hildegarde's life, her over riding love and devotion was to her faith and family. Our gracious, loving mother was happiest when she was making others happy. Be it making a wonderful dinner for family and friends or cookies for a pile of rowdy grandchildren, her greatest joy was serving others.

As a constant support to her husband throughout their 60 years of marriage, she would assist him in organizing numerous pilgrimages to Italy, Lourdes, Medjugorje and the Holy Land and also planning Marian Eucharistic vocation conferences for the diocese of Seattle. She was a regular communicate at St. Yves in Harmony, Wash. During the farming years and in their "retirement years".

Hildegarde's organizational skills and ability to tie up loose ends and bring the details together were invaluable as she and Hank worked together as a team on so many projects.

All through her life, our mother was a constant source of love, kindness and support to everyone.

Even in her last years when she was severely limited mentally and physically as the result of a stroke, her love continued to shine through to us. Those eight years were a time for us to thank her for all she had done for us, visit with her about our growing families, pray and sing with her and grow deeper in love with who she was to each of us.

We are so grateful for Jessica and all the staff at Welcome Home for their tender care of our Mom. She loved each of them as if they were her own.

Hildegarde was preceded in death by her parents; and husband. Also by her brother and sisters-in-law, John (Theresa) Rohrer and Lavonne Rohrer.

She is survived by her brothers and sister-in-law, Walt (Pat) Rohrer and Bob Rohrer; children, Jack (Debbie) DeGoede, Tom (Carolyn) DeGoede, JoAnn (Louie) Nurmi, Bob (Chat) DeGoede, Mary DeGoede and Dennis( Rose) DeGoede; 27 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

The family will have a private graveside service. A funeral Mass will be scheduled at a later date.