Monday, December 30, 2019
My memories of Ila go back to childhood. Her father, Fred Schartner, was my grandmother’s youngest brother; and my father, Henry Schultz, was his mother’s youngest child. As a result, Ila was only six years older than me, although Ila and Henry were first cousins. In the 1950s and early 1960s, when my brother and I were growing up in Boise, Idaho, we frequently visited eastern Oregon where members of my father’s family (both Schultzes and Schartners) lived, most of them on two farms outside Ontario, Oregon. Family gatherings usually took place in Ontario, and often included members of Fred and June Schartner’s family, who lived in Vale, Oregon. I recall visiting them in Vale when I was very young. At that time, Ila inspired me as a model of what a teenage girl might become. I left for college in 1967, and have since lived at some distance from Idaho. Ila also moved on, living in Twin Falls and Boise for many years. She excelled in her career with Idaho Power.
After Ila retired, she and Ernie Staab purchased the farm where Ila’s Aunt Emily (my Grandma Schultz) had lived. I got to meet Ernie and saw more of both Ila and Ernie when I visited Ontario to visit Minnie Schultz (my aunt and her cousin). Ila and Ernie remodeled the old farmhouse, beautifully, and planted a stunning flower garden on the eastern side of the house, carrying on a family tradition. Living in Ontario allowed Ila to spend time with Minnie as she aged. Ila organized a wonderful 90th birthday party/family reunion for Minnie, and put together a lovely photo album of images of Minnie over the course of her long life. Ila also had an active civic life in Ontario. She helped create a store for women in need in downtown Ontario, for which I admired her. She was clearly the love of Ernie’s life, and he of hers. I remember her with respect, especially in light of the terrible illness with which she struggled at the end of her life. May she rest in peace.