DeNelda Lee Jensen Schwartz's Obituary
DeNelda was the youngest of seven children born to Blanche and William Jensen November 1, 1928 in Tacoma, Washington. She spent her childhood growing up on a dairy farm in the village of Laurelwood, not far from Hillsboro, Oregon. DeNelda enjoyed being spoiled by her older siblings and during those years she learned to love music by learning to play the French horn and singing with her sisters. Later in college at Walla Walla College, College Place, Washington, she became a creative artist and used her talents during evangelistic meetings held by her husband, Richard Charles Schwartz. Richard and DeNelda married in 1948 and three years later Richard was ordained as a Seventh-Day Adventist minister with DeNelda at his side assisting in his ministry. They were blessed with three daughters, Judy Schwartz, Karen Schwartz Porter and Janette Schwartz. The Schwartz family loved to enjoy water sports while camping, and later spent many family vacations at their beach house in Washington. DeNelda was an excellent cook and kept her family well fed during all these excursions. She also served as cook during the construction of Big Lake Youth Camp in Oregon while her husband served as Youth Director in the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and oversaw the building of the camp.
Richard and DeNelda pastored in various churches in Oregon and Washington before moving to Minnesota for eight years and finally to Antioch, California. After retiring, they moved back to their childhood neighborhood and built their dream retirement home in Hillsboro where they lived until Richard’s passing in 2004. DeNelda has lived in several care homes in California and Oregon until her passing in Scappoose, Oregon. She will be missed by all her family and we all look forward to seeing her and Richard again when Jesus comes.
Services will be held December 20 at 3:00 pm at the Scappoose-St Helens Seventh-day Adventist Church, 54289 Columbia River Hwy, Scappoose. OR 97056-2530
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