Nyda Marie (Curry) Ping

Nyda Marie (Curry) Ping, 84, a long-time resident of Ephrata, died Thursday, December 9, 2010, in Walla Walla, Washington, after an extended illness.

She was born November 17, 1926, the first of three children, to E. Earl and Alice Lucretia (Soule) Curry at St. Anthony Hospital in Wenatchee, Washington. She lived her entire young life in Wenatchee, graduating from Wenatchee High School in 1944, and later a business school in Spokane, Washington. Upon her return to Wenatchee, she married Robert E. Ping at St. Joseph Catholic Church, on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945.

Shortly thereafter she moved to Ephrata with her young family to begin the family business, Ping Electric, where eventually she became Vice President and Head Bookkeeper. The business was a main-stay on Ephrata’s landscape for thirty years. Once the business sold, she became Office Manager for Korach and Wilson Insurance Company until her retirement.

Mrs. Ping was busy in the community supporting her husband’s many civic activities. She was an active member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church serving on the Parish Council and its Altar Society, president of the local affiliate of Altrusia International, wrote and published the newsletter for the Ephrata Car Club for many years, and volunteered for Volunteer Chore Services after her retirement. She loved to garden and was especially successful with her beautiful roses and irises. She was a dedicated hand quilter and managed to make a quilt for all of her children and some grandchildren before she became ill. She was an avid reader all of her life. In her retirement years, she became fascinated with her family history and spent many hours working on genealogy. She was excited to be able to trace her Soule family history to the settlers arriving on the Mayflower. Perhaps her dearest accomplishment was her dedication to her family. She was a great wife, mother and grandmother, always making her family her biggest priority.

Nyda was preceded in death by her daughter, Christina M. Ping, November 28, 2000, and her husband, Robert E. Ping, June 18, 2003. Survivors include her daughters, Teresa D. (Ping) Henkle and her husband, Robert, of Walla Walla, Jeanne L. (Ping) Galbreath and her husband, John, of Stanwood, and sons Dennis R. Ping and his wife, Kristi, of Bonnie Lake, and James E. Ping, and his wife, Jeanie, of Coulee City; a sister, Margaret A. (Curry) Smith of Wenatchee, a brother, Richard E. Curry and wife Betty of Lacey; 11 grandchildren, Alex Henkle, Ryan Henkle, Geoffrey Ping, Micah Ping, Garrett Galbreath, Nyda Galbreath, Dorothy Bledsoe, Eric Ping, Tiffanie Ping, Jordan Ping, and Krystal Salvage; and 8 great-grandchildren.

The funeral Mass will be 10 a.m., Friday, December 17, at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Ephrata. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice, Volunteer Chore Services, or an organization of your choice.