Elfriede 'Elfie' Vogt Obituary (1936

Elfriede or "Elfie" as all of her friends and family knew her, was born on October 19, 1936 in Munich, Germany. Despite the hardships of growing up during WWII, she developed deep and lasting relationships with her childhood friends and regularly stayed in touch throughout her life. In the late fifties, she immigrated to America and was proud to have earned her United States citizenship. She experienced life in her new country through her time living in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Utah and Arizona before moving to Washington in the late 60s. She experienced the challenges of being a single mother of three children for a number of years before marrying David, her husband of 49 years in 1971. In the years that followed, the family spent time hiking and backpacking through just about every wilderness area in Washington State along with whitewater rafting in Wyoming, a trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and adventures through National Parks in Utah, California and Oregon. Elfie was always young at heart and could often be found trying new pastimes like windsurfing and skiing. You could frequently see her and David running in races across Washington; she was very proud of the many T-shirts that she earned. In 1976, the family moved to Winthrop, Washington where she was hired as a seasonal employee on a fire crew with the U.S. Forest Service. Little did she know that this was to become the beginning of a long term career that would see her working with fire and trail crews, and eventual promotion to a full time management role overseeing the campgrounds and visitor centers in the Recreation Department for the Winthrop Ranger District. Seeking new opportunity and adventure, Elfie and David later moved to the Seattle area in 1997 where she managed the Forest Service Visitor Center in the REI flagship store until her retirement in 2004. After retirement Elfie and David settled into a new home and pursued their passion for travel. They made a number of trips to Europe to visit friends and relatives and developed a love for the scenery, culture and food of Italy. Cruising was another passion with trips to Alaska and from Seattle through the Panama Canal and on to Florida. In 2018, they relocated to the Yakima, WA area to enjoy the many sunny days the area offers. Elfie loved to be around people and made many friends throughout the years. Those who knew her would describe her as strong willed, feisty, passionate and a real survivor. She loved her family and would do anything to defend and protect them. Alas, our time on this earth is but a brief part of our journey and after fighting a number of illnesses in recent years, Elfie was called home to be with our Lord on November 1, 2020. She is survived by her husband of 49 years, David Vogt, children Len Kerr (Kellie), Sedro Wolley, WA; Mark Kerr (Joy), Frisco, TX; Michele Loomis (Shawn), Yakima, WA; and 10 grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents, Christian and Katharine Schweiberer. A private family Graveside Service will be held on Friday, November 13, 2020 at 2:30pm at Terrace Heights Memorial Park, 3001 Terrance Heights Dr., Yakima, WA. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Yakima Memorial Foundation, 2701 Tieton Dr., Yakima, WA 98902 in care of Brookside Funeral Home. Graveside Service Terrace Heights Memorial Park Friday, November 13, 2020 2:30 PM 3001 Terrace Heights Drive Yakima, WA 98901