Edith P. Dietz

A celebration of life for Edith P. Dietz, 93, of Coos Bay, will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, April 22 at the Black Market Gourmet, 495 Central Ave. in Coos Bay. There will be a service followed by refreshments and the sharing of stories and memories.

Edith Elmira Peacock was born in her Grandma Neal’s house Oct. 26, 1924 in Bruce, Ind. She passed away Jan. 15, 2018 at her home in Coos Bay. She was active in the community right untill the end where one of her last efforts was to vote in the last election.

At the age of 4, Edith moved with her mom and dad to Phoenix, Ariz., where she lived as an only child until she was 12 years of age when her sister, Sylvia, was born. Her dad, Nathan, taught her how to play cards which she played almost every week. Her mother, Esther, taught her how to cook and Edith used her cooking talents often to the delight of her friends and grandchildren.

Edith was an amazing person! She was an ordained minister and she had a diploma in the advanced studies from Unity School of Christianity. She had three husbands, two children, two grandchildren, and she owned and operated a flower shop.

Edith loved life and worked to make the world a better place. She began volunteering at the young age of 16 at a T.B. sanitarium. Her volunteer activities included, but were not limited to, Church Women United, hospital aide, hospice, helpline, RSVP, Zonta, democratic precinct chairperson, and mediation. In many of these organizations she served as an officer on the board and received awards for her efforts.

As a life long writer and published poet, here is how Edith described herself in the mid-to-late 1980’s:

“I am an Oregonian by choice. My love for this state makes me sound like a native. The rain, fog, clouds all embrace me with great joy. Even as a child growing up in Arizona on the desert, I loved to eat fish.

I have lived permanently in 12 states and the District of Columbia. People are blessings in my life and the quality with which we all live is probably why I’m a hospice volunteer. I’ve been a wife, mother, office worker, flower shop owner, etc., etc. I have been called an entrepreneur of life by friends who know me well. I’m a cancer counselor having studied Simonton philosophy. I’ve studied with Elizabeth Kubler Ross and am an ordained minister.

I’m interested in music, art, theater, museums, travel, and the fun of stopping to smell the roses at any given moment. I like to talk, and I like to listen. So, if you need a friend in either category, call me.”

Edith is survived by her sister, Sylvia Rhinehart; her niece, Sherie Caporello; her nephew, Jim Boggio; her daughters, Pamela Laveau and Roxanne Bradley and husband, David Elkus and their children, Elizabeth Elkus and Bradley Elkus; her precious cat, Sweetie Pie; and many, many friends.

She was preceded in death by her husbands, Walter A. Fry, Joseph Michael Dietz, the love of her life, and Jim Carnes; as well as many friends and her first cat, Lucy, all of which she missed very much.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice.

Arrangements are under the care of Coos Bay Chapel, 541-267-3131.

Friends and family are encouraged to sign the online guestbook at www.coosbayareafunerals.com and www.theworldlink.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Edith P. Dietz, please visit our floral store.