Hilda Byrd Chamberlain, 84, formerly of Wenatchee, WA and Elgin, OR, passed away on June 15, 2009, after an extended illness. Hilda was born May 29, 1925, to Overton "Obe" and Gladys (Duncan) Scott near Elgin, OR. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and was baptized at the age of 13. Her faith was extremely important to her and she lived her Christian life in a very real way. After graduating from Elgin High School, Hilda attended and graduated from Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, OR, where she met her husband, Robert "Bob" Byrd. They married in 1946, and Hilda dedicated herself to being a wonderful wife and mother to their four daughters. In the 1960's, Hilda helped Bob run a gift shop, a shuttle bus service and a river rafting business in Stehekin during the summers. During the winters, she worked at the Manson school cafeteria and packed fruit in Chelan. From 1972 to 1977, Hilda and Bob operated the NPS concession at Stehekin, which included the North Cascades Lodge. Hilda made hundreds of pies for the restaurant and helped in many other aspects of the business. Later, they lived in Entiat, where they operated a fresh fruit stand and Hilda worked at a local convenience store. In 1983, they moved to Wenatchee, where Hilda worked in various positions through Senior Services. After Robert's death in 1989, Hilda taught herself computer skills. She lived at Garden Terrace and helped with typing and editing the in-house newsletter, the Bugle. There, she met Carl Chamberlain. They married in 1995. Sadly, Carl died that same year. Hilda always enjoyed doing things with her daughters and grandchildren, helping them in any way she could think of. She played the accordion and the piano and loved to play music for others. Hilda also liked walking at Riverfront Park and lunching at Buddy LaFleur's in Wenatchee, where she was a regular for many years. After contracting Alzheimer's, Hilda moved, in 2003, back to Elgin, OR to stay with her daughter, Annette. In 2006, she went to live with daughter, Maria in Duluth, MN and later moved to Bayshore Health Center, where she resided at the time of her death. Hilda had a gift for helping others and was loved and respected by all who knew her. Her daughters believe she was the most wonderful mother anyone could ever hope for.
Hilda was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Warren and Howard Scott; sister, Hazel Jones; her husbands; and a daughter, Kathleen Myers. She is survived by her sister, Sara May Horn of Hermiston, OR; her daughters, Maria Vodden of Duluth, MN, Annette Byrd of Elgin, OR and Christina Byrd of Malaga, WA; a granddaughter, Harmony Moore Barbee of Boise, ID; a grandson, Forrest Vodden of Duluth, MN; and two great-granddaughters, Alexandria Duncan and Courtney Rose Moore, both of Idaho.
A Memorial Service and Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, June 21, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. at Calvary Chapel, 2200 N. Baker Street in East Wenatchee, to which all family and friends are invited. Private Interment Services at Chelan Fraternal Cemetery have been entrusted to Precht Rose Chapel in Chelan.