Anita Willadee Ullman
January 23, 1914 – February 3, 2016
Anita Willadee (Curfman) Ullman, 102, died on February 3, 2016 at Providence Marianwood Nursing Home in Issaquah, Washington where she had lived for the past four years. Anita had previously been a resident of the University House and Providence Point retirement communities, also located in Issaquah. She had many friends in the Issaquah area who will remember her enthusiastic approach to life, her warm heart and her giving nature.
Anita’s family will miss her endearing and positive presence and the countless ways she made others laugh and appreciate the joys of life. Surviving family members include her son Wayne Conrad Ullman and his wife Marta, who live in Sammamish, Washington and their children Margaret who lives in Seattle and Elisabeth who lives in Lima, Peru; her son Kenneth Albert Ullman and his wife Jeanie, who live in Idaho, and Ken’s daughter Jennifer who lives in California; and her daughter Anita Jo Gazda who lives in Bryson City, North Carolina and Anita Jo’s children Meg who lives in Chicago, David who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and Karen who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina; as well as five great-grandchildren.
Anita attained an advanced age but never lost her spirit and zest for life. For her, each day was a gift. She approached life with the goal of learning new things, meeting new people and getting things done. During her more active years she read the newspaper every day and was an avid follower of public events. As a child of the Great Depression, Anita was careful in her habits but always retained an optimistic outlook.
Anita was a wonderful mother and an inspiration to her children. Through thick and thin, she provided love and support to her family. She taught her family countless things about life and was always interested in what her family members were doing.
Anita was born January 23, 1914 in Fort Klamath, Oregon as Anita Willadee Curfman, the daughter of Ezra Randolph and Grace Pierpont (Blue) Curfman. She grew up in various small towns in Eastern Oregon where her father was a school teacher, principal, school superintendent, insurance broker and realtor. Anita had two sisters, Virginia McEwen and Evelyn Tolles, who both preceded her in death.
Her father passed away in 1967 and her mother died in 1990.Anita graduated from high school in Ontario, Oregon in 1931, after which she studied Music at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. The Great Depression was a hard time for Anita’s family but she never stopped pursuing her dreams. Anita became a talented pianist and gave a number of piano recitals, including classical music by Rachmaninoff, Franz Liszt and others. In the late 1930’s she moved with her two sisters to Southern California, found employment in Los Angeles, and on March 8, 1941 she married Albert Conrad Ullman in Pasadena, California. During the Second World War her husband Al served as an officer in the U.S. Navy based in San Francisco and saw duty in the Pacific Theater. It was during this period that their first two children were born, daughter Anita Jo in 1943 and son Kenneth in 1945.
After the War, the Ullmans moved to Baker, Oregon where Anita’s parents lived and where Al became a realtor and established a home-building business. In 1952 their third child, Wayne, was born. In 1956, Al was elected a United States Representative for the Second District of Oregon, as a Democrat, and the family relocated to Northern Virginia. Al served in Congress for twenty-four years.
During that time the family spent part of each year in Oregon and retained close ties to the Northwest.
After divorcing in 1970, Anita remained in Virginia for a time and was an active member of the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1985 she moved to Sun City West, Arizona where she lived until moving to Issaquah, Washington in 1993. She enjoyed traveling to far-away places, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Great Britain, Austria, Switzerland, Greece and Israel.
Anita will be laid to rest at Chelan, Washington.
