Dora Schilperoort

Dora Ellen (Dee) Schilperoort was born on February 25th, 1925, in East Canton, Ohio, and passed away on the morning of December 10th, 2023. She was the second child of Stella and Lester Bechtel. During her years in Ohio, Dee played clarinet in the High School marching band, raised and showed steers while a member of 4-H, and was one of the famous Rosie-The-Riveters for a few months in 1943, working on the B-17 bombers during WWII. Dee met her soon-to-be husband Gerrit John Schilperoort in 1943 while he was on a car-buying trip to Detroit. Gerrit made a life-changing detour to visit his sister, Phoebe, who was staying with the Bechtels. It was love at first sight, and Gerrit did some intense courting over a very few months, as he did not want to let the beautiful Dora Ellen get away. They were married on January 26, 1944 in East Canton, Ohio. Gerrit spirited her back to his home state of Washington immediately thereafter, burning every bridge behind him. Dee adapted to farm life in the Harrah/Wapato area in short order. She was an able beet truck driver, gardener, and mother of five. Her meals were legendary, and her home-made butter was greatly appreciated by the family, as was her home-made bread, all delivered with a generous joyful spirit and an unusually competent quality, winning numerous blue ribbons for her entries at local and regional fairs. Among many other activities, Dee was a Cub Scout den mother, and sewing instructor for 4-H, as well as a master seamstress, making shirts and other clothing for her children from time to time. She was always active in her church, and spent many happy hours at the Clear Lake Brethren Camp in the Cascade Mountains. The Harrah Brethren Church was a sister church to one she attended in Ohio. Dee was a woman of great faith and a firm believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior. She served faithfully as a deaconess and Sunday School teacher, as well as hosting many missionary families at the ranch house near Harrah. Dee and Gerrit were married for 64 years before Gerrit passed away on March 1st, 2008. She is also preceded in death by her parents and her two siblings, Opal and Glen, all from Ohio. An open Visitation will be held between 3 and 6:00 pm on Thursday, December 14th, at the Valley Hills Funeral Home, 218 W. 3rd Street, in Wapato. Family will be present. Internment will be at 11:00 am at the Reservation Community Memorial Park, located on the West Wapato Road. Dee is survived by her sons William L. (Elva), Thomas B. (Jane), Richard G. (Bonnie), and Monte L. (Anne) Schilperoort, and her daughter Teresa E. Marx (Benno), as well as 17 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren. Visitation will be held at Valley Hills Funeral Home in Wapato on Thursday, December 14 from 3-6pm. Graveside services will be held Friday, December 15, 2023 at 11:00am at Reservation Community Memorial Park in Wapato. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be given in her honor to Clear Lake Brethren Camp: PO Box 415, Goldendale, WA 98620, or to Heartlinks Hospice, 204 W. Second Street, Grandview, WA 98930. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Dora Schilperoort, please visit our flower store.