Wilda Irene Zollman, born Sept. 12, 1925, lived 85 of her 90 years in Wallowa County. Wilda grew up on a ranch at Shamrock Ridge North of Enterprise, where her parents farmed 200 acres of hay. She attended school at Flora until 7th grade and then lived and worked for Marcel and Vera Norton, East of Flora, milking cows for $5 a week.

Wilda met Wilbur Zollman over at Uncle Ira’s at the age of 14. She worked at the cannery and lived at the Alder Slope place. They began dating and were married when Wilda was 17 in Walla Walla, Wash. They moved to Enterprise and lived in a house with no water or indoor plumbing for four months. They celebrated when they got plumbing in!

On July 21, 1948, Julia Ann Zollman was born in the old hospital, adding much joy to Wilbur and Wilda’s life.

Wilbur and Wilda were a hard-working team, cutting wood for a living and then buying a ranch on the outskirts of Enterprise and creating a living with farming, woodcutting, milk cows and hogs. The cream was sold and the milk fed to the hogs. It was hard work but a rewarding life.

After Julia married Charles McCarver in 1965 and left home, Wilda worked at potato harvesting for several years. She was part of the Cow Belle club and attended church at the Enterprise Assembly of God. More joy came as daughter Julia and Charles McCarver provided four grandkids: Helen, Kenneth, David and Kimberly. All the grandkids spent time on the ranch, but David and Kimberly spent several summers helping Grandpa and Grandma.

Wilda enjoyed reading and croqueting and made a mean pie, according to local Enterprise resident, Keith Byrd. She loves people and has many friends in Wallowa County. In 2001, Wilbur passed away and Wilda continued to live on the ranch until 2010, when she moved to Nampa, Idaho, to be near family. She lived her last few months with daughter Julia and near granchildren David McCarver of Nampa and Kimberly Hinsdale of Caldwell, Idaho. She loved seeing her local great-grandchildren; Kenneth, Jayce, Chris, Kaitelynn, Reagan, Kolton and Roslyn.

Wilda just celebrated her 90th birthday with a party at Wallowa Lake Lodge in August, 2015. In attendance were longtime friends and family, and Wilda was in rare form, singing her own rendition of a song she composed about her love for Wallowa County to the tune of Red River Valley, which brought the house down!

Wilda passed away in her sleep at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21 at her daughter Julia’s home in Nampa after a battle with skin cancer. She was laid to rest in the Enterprise cemetery on Oct. 23 at a graveside service attended by family and friends. She is finally at rest and home in her beloved Wallowa County!

Wilda is survived by daughter Julia McCarver of Nampa; grandson Kenneth McCarver of Springfield, Tenn.; grandson David McCarver of Nampa; granddaughter Kimberly McCarver of Caldwell; 13 great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren.