Willamae "Billie" Meacham

On a cold, wintery January day, Jan. 22, 1924 to be exact, Willamae Gould entered this world at the farmhouse of her mother and father (“Lottie” Markman Gould and Lloyd Gould) near Bone Gap, Ill. As Willamae grew up, she spent much of her time between her parents’ and her maternal grandparents’ homes. Her grandfather was a shoemaker and she spent many hours in his shoe shop, helping wherever she could, learning the details of what goes into making a good shoe.

Besides doing well in school, she played the piano, sang in her school and church choirs, and was highly involved with activities at the Moravian Church. She graduated from high school in 1942 and began nurse’s training at Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. In college, she developed a deep friendship with six other young women also training to become nurses. It was among this great group of friends that she was given the nickname, “Billie,” and it stuck throughout her adult life.

Because World War II was going on during her college years, she felt she would graduate and go to work in a military hospital, helping care for the wounded and recovering soldiers and other veterans. However, the war had ended before she was out and she only spent a few months working in Virginia. Eventually, she and a friend struck out to see the world; first, on a six-month “adventure” going to Panama, and then coming west, initially to “way-too-dusty-for-me” Richland, Washington (Kadlec Hospital) and finally settling down near the beautiful Blue Mountains in Pendleton, Ore. (St. Anthony Hospital). One of her fellow nurses at St. Anthony, Irma “Meachie” She had a brother named Gordon. The rest of the story is history – a young cowboy who needed his cowgirl, a young nurse who was looking for her handsome prince! Together they would become working partners; she to manage all the household chores while he handled the cows and irrigated alfalfa, corn and grain fields.

Gordon and Billie were married on Jan. 1, 1949, in West Salem, Illinois. They returned to Lapwai, Idaho, where Gordon farmed with his dad and brothers in a family pea and grain operation. About this same time, Gordon’s dad purchased land under the Roza Irrigation Project near Yakima, Wash. In 1951, Gordon and Billie left Idaho, becoming the operators of that ranch where they often remarked similarly to “We are like outlaws. We are not Catholic hop-farmers, nor are we Dutch fruit farmers. Instead, we have just come to raise alfalfa for our cow-calf operation.”

Besides handling the cows and the growing farm operation, the couple also raised three children who helped with all the farming and ranching duties; Ann, Sylvia and Alonzo. Billie now became the taxi driver for dance lessons, piano lessons, swim lessons, softball and baseball practices, as well as church meetings, choir practice and ladies guild meetings. She sewed countless dance costumes, baked dozens of cookies for church events and assisted wherever she could when a neighbor needed help. The family attended Tree of Life Lutheran Church (formerly Terrace Heights Lutheran) in Yakima and have maintained friendships with many of the members still there.

In 1986, Gordon and Billie moved to Royal City, Wash., to what they fondly called their “cow camp.” What started out as a small ranch to winter the cattle became a welcoming “new” home and place of residence. They regularly attended Royal City United Methodist Church. In the early 2000s, Gordon and Billie sold their property at Royal City but continued to “farm” from looking out their front window or when taking one of their drives in their pickup truck. They developed friendships from Wenatchee to Quincy to Soap Lake to Moses Lake to Mattawa to Ellensburg... well, you get the idea. They could be in the pickup and anywhere within an hour or two of Royal City to meet someone for lunch, even if it might be someone new. But “new” only lasted for one time; after that, it was “friend.”

In 2012, Gordon was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2013. With the help of Sylvia and Ann, Billie moved to Gig Harbor in November of 2013. She quickly found her way into the hearts of so many! She enjoyed attending church at Peninsula Lutheran where she joined in Rebekah Circle, Altar Guild and the Quilters. With the invitation of her neighbor, she attended STARS, a warm and friendly group of thriving senior women! For the past year, Billie again won over the hearts of many of the residents and caregivers at the beautiful (both inside and out) Kensington Gardens. Thanks to the many caregivers, she played pinochle, tried her hand at crafts, exercised during sit and fit, rode “Mark’s Shiny Bus” to many excursions, etc. On Sunday morning, Sept. 27, 2015, Billie finally made her last journey, leaving her earthly world to join her beloved Gordon once again and all the saints who have gone before her.

Billie will be remembered for her sincere love of people: she had the ability to quickly find a connection with you and never forget it – she would ask you about your vacation, family member, hobby, etc., the next time she saw you. She also had a way with animals – she may have had a clean plate at the end of a meal, but several morsels had been shared with the family cat and/or dog. She would have had several cats and dog, space permitting! “Jeopardy” was yet another interest – her family wanted her to try out for the show, but she was satisfied to play from her own living room most every evening! And we can’t forget sports: her first love was the St. Louis Cardinals, followed by both the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners. Thank you for sharing your love with us in so many ways, Mother/Nana/Aunt Billie/Billie.

Survivors include: daughter, Ann Meacham of Gig Harbor; daughter and son-in-law, Sylvia and Richard Wallen of Gig Harbor, and their children, Jenny and Jason Koenig of Seattle and Stephanie Wallen of Jeju, South Korea; son, Alonzo Meacham of Moxee, Wash.; 35 nieces and nephews from all over; sister-in-law, Pearl Meacham of Provo, Utah; and countless friends, many of whom she counted as brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, etc., because that’s the way she lived!

Memorial services will be held in both Gig Harbor at Peninsula Lutheran Church, 6509 38th Ave NW on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m., and in Royal City at Royal City United Methodist Church, 305 Royal Ave. NW on Nov. 15 at 9 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests remembrances be given to Peninsula Lutheran Church/choir and bell music and/or batting for quilts, 6509 38th Ave NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98335; Royal City United Methodist Church/building fund for handicap access, Royal City, WA 99357; Tree of Life Lutheran Church, 410 North 37th Street, Yakima, WA 98901; Construction for Change, 335 Parkplace Center G119, Kirkland, WA 98033; or a cause of your choice.