Ethel Eckenberg, surrounded by family, moved on to the next world on December 10, 2009. She was born on October 18, 1908, in Waco, WA, to Eugene and Sylvia Painter Holcomb. Ethel married William L. Eckenberg in 1935. She had a long, proud career as an RN for The Boeing Company in Seattle, from which she retired in 1973. After that, she moved to McMinnville and enjoyed a long, happy and healthy retirement, full of gardening, pets, world travel and family. A woman who never stopped learning, Ethel appreciated unexplained mysteries, different perspectives and good news. She had a great sense of humor and an infectious laugh to go with it.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William, in 1966; sisters, Dorothy Holcomb, Bernice Janssen and Mildred Schmidt; and brother, Donald Holcomb. She is survived by sisters, Grace Erickson of McMinnville and Marjorie Callie of Wenatchee, WA; and brother, Oliver Holcomb of Wenatchee, WA.

Memorial services will be held on Tuesday, December 15, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Macy & Son in McMinnville, OR. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Friends of the Library or Homeward Bound Pets, c/o Macy & Son. The family would like to thank the staff of Oakwood Country Place and Osprey Pointe. To leave online condolences, please visit www.macyandson.com.