Roy Raymond Obermeier

Roy Raymond Obermeier was born in St. Helens, Oregon on February 17, 1947 passed away July 10, 2024, at his residence in Vale, Oregon.

Roy spent the first 10 years of his life in the little community of Yankton, Oregon, a few miles outside of St. Helens. His family moved to Boardman, Oregon, where he finished grade school and was an excellent high school student. He enjoyed playing basketball and running track, holding a track record for a time. During these years he worked in the watermelon fields and raised his own sheep on his family farm.

After graduating from high school, he went to Spokane, Washington, to enlist in the military. He failed the physical because a report came back saying he had bad kidneys. He went back home, and through the help and advice of his pastor, Roland Berg, accepted the church's offer to help him go to Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland. After this plan came into place, the Army called and asked why he didn't show up for duty. Roy replied he was told he had bad kidneys and couldn't be accepted to serve and had other plans.

The medical report was a mistake, but God had different plans for Roy. In the fall of 1965, Roy was off to Portland to study for the ministry.

On July 22, 1967, Roy married a nice gal by the name of Judy, whom he discovered in the hills of Columbia County, Oregon. They moved to an apartment in Portland where he could be closer to his schooling and she closer to her job at Montgomery Ward.

In June 1968 Roy graduated from Bible College and accepted his first pastoral position in a nice little church in Hansville, Washington, located on the tip of Kitsap Peninsula on Puget Sound. During their three years here, their first daughter Julie was born. In April of 1971 Roy and family moved back to Oregon. There Roy took on a job in a little lumber mill in St. Helens, worked on a dairy farm on Saturdays and helped out in the little country church where they were married.

In December 1973 Roy accepted another pastoral position. This would take them to Ekalaka, a darling little town in the southeast corner of Montana. Roy loved being there and helping the ranchers anyway he could. While they were there, daughters Jody and Jenny were born. The Obermeier family left quite an impression. They still have folks there they keep in touch with. In the summer of 1978 they moved back to western Oregon for one year.

In the late summer of 1979 Roy and his family arrived in Malheur County. They found a home in Jamieson and then in 1981 the call to be the pastor of the Willowcreek Community Church came. Roy accepted this position and the Obermeiers moved into the parsonage.

Besides being a minister, Roy worked on the Fred Patterson Dairy, The Chamberlain Dairy and took care of the Willowcreek School including lawn maintenance, plowing snow, and driving bus. Roy was one of the few people that could keep the school's coal furnace working. With all he did for the Willowcreek School and community he was known as Mr. Willowcreek. In 2014 Roy retired from the school district and the old coal furnace was put to rest.

Roy also spent several summers driving fire bus. He made many trips around Oregon and other states including Montana and Colorado. These times presented opportunities for Roy to show the love of Christ through his selfless acts of kindness and compassion. He enjoyed the friendships he made with many fire crews.

Roy continued on with the Willowcreek Community Church work until the fall of 2019. During those years he dearly loved teaching the Bible classes for Release Time, Youth Group, and Sunday Service. Another place he loved to share the good news of Jesus was for the Bible Study time at Pioneer Place.

No matter how he felt or what was going on, when you asked Roy how are you doing, his response was always, "I'm Blessed."

Roy was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Violet Obermeier; his oldest brother, Ernest Obermeier; and his daughter, Julie Gregory.

Roy will be lovingly remembered by his wife and best buddy of 57 years, Judy; daughter Jody (George) Rau and granddaughters Mikayla and Jorgie; daughter Jenny (Mark) Dayton and grandsons Carson (Abbie) and Troy; son-in-law Robb Gregory and granddaughter Austie (Brad) Baird; grandsons Taylor (Brandi) Gregory, Jesse (Kayla) Gregory, and 11 great-grandchildren; sisters Teresa Thorpe and Anna (Don) Earlywine and brother Robert (Lorrie) Obermeier, all from St. Helens; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Roy will always be remembered for his friendly ways, big smiles, willingness to help, and being a friend. His love for the Lord Jesus Christ was meant to shine. We are blessed because of you, and now you are truly Blessed.