Clara Billie Sewell Weidenhaft passed away on Sept. 19, 2020 after battling complications from cancer.
She was born in Beloit, Kansas to James Martin and Bessie Irene Sewell on Nov. 4, 1931. She was the seventh born, having three sisters and three brothers, Robert, Sam, Dortha Mae, LeRoy, Irene and Peggy; only Irene still resides in North Bend, Ore.
She married her sweetheart Robert (Bob) Lee Weidenhaft on May 1, 1948 in Beloit before moving to Oregon. They were married 70 years before his passing in October 2018.
Together they had two sons and four grandchildren: son Richard (Lauri Lund) of Springfield, Ore.; son Lark (Betty Porter) of Harrisburg, Ore.; and grandchildren Megan, Eric, Lucas and Shane.
Billie was a good mother and hard worker. She worked beside Bob at Copeland Lumber in Redmond and Springfield as bookkeeper and assistant manager, before building, co-owning, selling and retiring from own business Weidenhaft Building Supply in Springfield.
She was good at everything that she ventured for, from fishing, furniture building, sewing, oil painting to gardening, cooking and canning. After retiring, she and Bob were active in square dance, then she got introduced to clog dance. For the next 20 years clogging was her passion; she founded two clogging clubs, performing and teaching Misty Valley Cloggers and then the Good Time Cloggers.
Billie always loved music, playing every keyed and stringed instrument that she picked up, from piano to banjo, her dream one day was to form a band, so as if her schedule wasn’t full enough, she founded the Senior Hillbilly Band, performing at retirement homes and care centers all around the Willamette Valley, even making many appearances at the Willamette Valley Opry.
She made her mark on this world, influencing many people to stay active, she and her entertaining groups brought joy to many people. She is and will be missed dearly by all.
