Lydia C. Riedel

Lydia C. Riedel Lydia Clara Riedel, 90, entered into Eternal Rest on August 3, 2014 having passed away at Highgate Assisted Living in Wenatchee, WA. Funeral services to honor and celebrate her life will be held August 12, 2014 10:00 am at Zion Lutheran Church in Nampa, ID. Lydia was born on October 1, 1923 in Lodi, CA. Her parents George and Molly Heinitz were blessed with four children, Lydia, and her brothers Herman, Gus and David. She attended Lodi High School graduating in June 1943. She met, fell in love with, and married E. Paul Riedel during his one-year internship at the Lutheran Church in Lodi. They were married October 3, 1943 and began their first ministry that fall in Wallace-Mullen, ID. They served other Northwest Lutheran parishes in Ashton-Squirrel-St. Anthony, ID; in Ashland, OR; in Wenatchee, WA; and at Zion Lutheran Church in Nampa, ID. After serving 50 years of ministry together, Pastor and Lydia retired to Wenatchee, returning to Nampa in 1995 to serve their Lord as active members. After Paul's death in 2007, Lydia eventually returned to Wenatchee to live her last days closer to children. God blessed this marriage of 64 years with five children: Connie Bloomer, Sparks, NV; Ruth (Richard) O'Keefe, Lodi.CA; Sue (Jim) Ayers, Ellensburg, WA; James (Juanita) Riedel, Wenatchee, WA; and Jon (Robin) Riedel, Las Vegas, NV. Survivors also include 13 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. The Holy Spirit gifted Lydia with a gracious heart, a welcoming spirit, and a listening ear. She felt blessed to share in ministry with Paul and content to work, relocate, and commit to their vocation. Lydia provided for everyone she met offering kindness, hospitality, compassion and empathy. Our family will always remember her generous, loving and forgiving nature, the many loaves of banana bread shared, and the hundreds of "God Bless You's" she spoke. She will be missed here below, but we are confident she is celebrating with all the saints in heaven above! A memorial service will be held at Faith Lutheran Church in Wenatchee with date and time yet to be announced. Memorial donations in Lydia's name have been established and contributions may be mailed to The Lutheran Hour Radio Ministry, 660 Mason Ridge Center Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141, www.lhm.org. Arrangements are assisted by Telford's Chapel of the Valley, East Wenatchee.

Lydia C. Riedel

October 1, 1923 - August 3, 2014