Obit: McCurdy, Jill Mae (1954 - 2008)

Contact: R. Lipprandt
Email: bob@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: McCurdy, Nehls, Paul, Wyatt

----Source: The Star News (Medford, Taylor Co., WI), Wednesday, December 18, 2008, Online Edition

McCurdy, Jill Mae (June 23, 1954 - December 2, 2008)

Surrounded by her family, Jill McCurdy passed away at home after a dignified battle with pancreatic cancer on December 2, 2008. Shortly after her diagnosis she spoke of the journey ahead and said that she wanted to travel it peacefully and with grace. The courage that ensued was admired by everybody that she touched.

Jill was born in Medford Wisconsin in 1954 to Jim and Lorraine Paul and had a wonderful childhood growing up on the farm with her brothers, Jim Jr. (Marti) and Jeff (Linda), and her beloved sister, Jenny (Rick Nehls). As a child, summer months were spent the old-fashioned way, with family, picnics, hiking, fishing, swimming, and catching lightening bugs. Even as an adult it became a custom that when she was back in Wisconsin on her annual visits, one evening was set aside to chase lightening bugs.

After her graduation from Medford High School, Jill spent time in Chicago as a nanny prior to moving to Portland Oregon. Soon after, she met John McCurdy, and on September 1st 1973, nine months after their first date on New Years Eve, they married. She instantly fell in love with his three children: Keith, Karey, and Kevin. Jill's "greatest joy," Chris, was born in 1979.

Fashion and clothing design were a perfect fit for Jill's creative character. She started her designing career at Dehen's Knitting, with the last 15 years at Adidas. She had the opportunity to travel to Peru, Colombia, Indonesia, Singapore, France, India, as well as other countries. But most importantly, she made genuine friends that cared for her as much as she cared for them.

Often, summer or winter, the family packed up the motor home and headed for the Oregon coast. Watching the winter storms roll in was just as spectacular as long relaxing walks on the beach with John and Chris on warm summer days. Over the years restoring and cruising in old cars was a passion that Jill and John also shared. Their latest project, and her favorite, was a beautiful 1934 Ford five window coupe. This was a perfect fit for them: Jill had the artistic touch and John had the wrench.

Family members wrote what was in their hearts: "I just cannot picture her without a big smile on her face. I asked her about it once and she explained it as being a kind of choice. That moment changed something in me." -Jane Wyatt "Jill being, quite simply, one of the loveliest, warmest, deepest people we have known, with the added luck that she shared and gave some of that light and love to us, for which I will always, always be deeply grateful." -Ann Wyatt.

The gift that Nana gave her grandchildren was the gift of acceptance and the encouragement to be who they were born to be and to live their dreams. Nana will be deeply missed by her grandchildren Kyle, Cody, Camica, Erik, and Makayla. And while it is Jill we mourn now, it has been impossible not to think also about John and Chris, and what a special family they have made with Keith, Karey, and Kevin as well. That is something John and Jill did together, a true partnership in every sense and one which not so many people ever get to experience.

Donations can be made to: Care Calendar (http://www.carecalendar.org/) Creator Lutheran Church, Clackamas Oregon (http://www.creatorlutheran.org/) Ronald McDonald House (http://www.rmhcoregon.org/)

*** Note: Middle name, birth day and month were extracted from the social security death index. 

 

 

 


© Every submission is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.

 

Show your appreciation of this freely provided information by not copying it to any other site without our permission.

 

Become a Clark County History Buff

 

Report Broken Links

A site created and maintained by the Clark County History Buffs
and supported by your generous donations.

 

Webmasters: Leon Konieczny, Tanya Paschke,

Janet & Stan Schwarze, James W. Sternitzky,

Crystal Wendt & Al Wessel

 

CLARK CO. WI HISTORY HOME PAGE