Carl Schilperoort

Carl Wesley Schilperoort, a lifetime Yakima Valley resident, farmer, and friend to everyone, died on January 30, 2024, in Lynnwood, Washington. Carl was born on January 28, 1926, to William and Niesje Schilperoort in Sunnyside, Washington. He was raised with his eight siblings (five brothers and three sisters) in the Brownstown area on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Carl attended the Brownstown Johnson School and graduated from Wapato High School, where he was a star player on the school’s basketball team. After graduating from high school, Carl initially worked on the family farm. But his eagerness to serve his country during World War II prompted him to join the U.S. Marine Corps. Around the time he completed basic training, however, the war ended. After a total of 18 months in the Corps, Carl was honorably discharged and returned to working as a farmer. Attending a Youth for Christ rally in Yakima in 1949 turned out to be a fortuitous decision that would shape the trajectory of his life. At the rally he spotted a fetching young nursing student across the room—Helen Youngren. This chance encounter led them to get married in Yakima in 1950. Together they raised five children in Wapato. Early on as a farmer, Carl developed a passion for fruit orchards rather than open land farming, and from 1967 until his retirement in 2004, he focused mainly on growing fruit. He and Helen built a family home on a hill in Wapato overlooking the orchards Carl tended. Along with Helen, Carl was a lifetime member of Harrah Community Church, where he served in a variety of teaching and leadership roles. Carl also served on the Yakima Young Life Committee, an organization whose work he supported enthusiastically for decades. Carl and his brother Gerrit created the popular Young Life BBQ Beef Booth at the Yakima Fair. Carl also strongly supported the Red Cross, proudly displaying his Red Cross 20-Gallon Blood Donor pin and certificate above his office desk. Among his many distinctive qualities, Carl was best known for the genuine interest in and kindness he showed to the countless people he met over 98 years. He and Helen had a widely recognized “open door policy” at their home, where Carl welcomed visitors with openness, generosity, and compassion. It did not matter whether the visitor was a relative, neighbor, or stranger. Carl also had a deeply inquisitive mind. A voracious reader, he especially enjoyed non-fiction works dealing with historical events and personalities. His combined love of family and curiosity about the world led him on family-oriented ventures around the United States as well as on trips to visit children, grandchildren, and relatives in places such as Holland, Sweden, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Cambodia. Carl is survived by Helen, his wife of 73 years; five children, Colleen (Darrel Fortune), Bob, Adriana Havnaer (Doug), Susan (Christopher Kendall), and Signe (Fred Bruner), 11 grandchildren and their spouses; two great grandchildren, his sister Dorothy Redfield, and numerous beloved nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Carl’s Life will be held on February 15, 2024 at 1:00pm at the Englewood Christian Church, 511 N. 44th Ave., Yakima, WA. Memorial donations may be made to Sacred Road Ministries, P.O Box 400, Harrah, WA 98933. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Carl Schilperoort, please visit our flower store.