Freda Sophie Powers
Freda Sophie Powers, a long -time member of the Bickleton community, went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Aug. 26, 2009, in Sunnyside.
Freda was born on July 7, 1917 near Maryhill, to Henry and Frances "Putz" Scheel. They moved to Goldendale and she attended school there.
On Nov. 24, 1934, Freda married Arlo Lund Powers of Dot, in Vancouver. They moved to Portland for one year operating a Texaco Service Station with Arlo's cousin, Lowell and Mary Powers. They moved to Burns, Ore., where Arlo worked in another Texaco station for one year and then a saw mill for four years.
Their only child, Robert Arlo, was born there in 1937. In 1940, they moved home to Dot to become the third generation on the Powers family ranch.
In 1943, Arlo and Freda purchased the Billy Mason ranch on Dot Road and moved there and continued farming and raising cattle. In 1978, Arlo and Freda sold their ranch to Bob who became the fourth generation rancher and they continued to reside on the Mason place. Arlo passed away suddenly on April 24, 1987, and Freda continued to live on the ranch until she moved her house to Bickleton in the spring of 1996.
Freda's interests in history and genealogy gave her a lifelong hobby of collecting pictures, news clippings and writing notes. In the early 1970's, she sensed that the Pioneer Picnic was losing the presidential history and began to collect pictures and memorabilia from the previous picnics. For the first time in 1972, she displayed pictures on the back of one of the grandstands in Cleveland Park during the annual celebration and continued this until 2003.
The "Gambling Grannies" as she called her card playing lady friends, were a great source of pleasure to her after she moved to Bickleton and those ladies became very dear to her.
Freda served as treasurer and an elder in the First Presbyterian Church in Bickleton. She was active in the Afternoon Circle of Goodwill, Honorary President of the Alder Creek Pioneer Associations 86th Pioneer Picnic in 1996, Member of the Alder Creek Pioneer Association, Klickitat County Historical Society, First Presbyterian Church and the Eastern Klickitat County Historical Society.
Freda's many years of hospitality and community involvement ended when she moved to Sun Terrace in Sunnyside in April, 2004 and she left her heart in the Bickleton country! She moved to Hillcrest Manor on June 30.
Freda is survived by her son, Bob Powers, and his wife Sandra of Bickleton, grandchildren, Ken Powers of Seattle, Missy Pfeifer and her husband Troy of Gaston, Ore., and Lance Powers and his wife, Susan of Bickleton; four great-grandchildren, Kirstin and Brandi Pfeifer of Gaston, Ore., and Mitchell and Nathan Powers of Bickleton; one sister-in-law, Edith Scheel, of Vancouver; nephews, Dr. Mike Scheel and Randy Scheel of Vancouver, Ted Miller of Goldendale and one niece, Pat Shamek of Goldendale.
Preceding her in death were her parents, two brothers, John and Marion Scheel, her husband Arlo Powers and one great-grandson, Travis Pfeifer.
Memorials in Freda's memory may be given to the First Presbyterian Church, Building Fund, Bickleton.
A memorial service for Freda was held Aug. 31, at the First Presbyterian Church in Bickleton.
Those wishing to sign Freda's online memorial book may do so at www.funeralhomesmith.com.
