There will be a Celebration of Life Service, December 12, 2026, 11 am, with a Reception following the service at the Trinity Lutheran Church, 311 SE Schley Street, Sheridan, OR 97378.
Wilma was born on July 14, 1936, the only child of Dorothy and William Schlief, in St. Louis, MO. She grew up with cousins, aunts and uncles very dear to her. Wilma attended Bethlehem Lutheran Church School, St. Louis Lutheran High School, and completed her education at Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing, a three-year registered nursing program.
While attending Deaconess she was introduced to a classmate’s brother at Concordia Seminary. This gentleman, Eugene Martin Ludwig, was moved to ask Wilma to marry him and she accepted. They were married on August 4, 1957 in St. Louis with Gene’s father officiating and his siblings and their friends in the wedding party. Shortly after, they left for a honeymoon automobile trip to Seattle, WA where Gene was called to serve as vicar to Dr. Carl Bensene, NW District President and as Pastor to Zion Lutheran Church on Green Lake for ten months.
Wilma worked full time on the OBGYN floor at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. Upon completion of Gene’s vicarage they moved back to St. Louis for Gene’s last year at the seminary. During this time Wilma worked at a local hospital on the general surgery floor. Gene graduated and was called to serve the congregation at Beautiful Savior in Milwaukie, OR. They were blessed with a daughter, Kristi, before leaving St. Louis and then further blessed with three boys, Kraig, Kirk, and Keith in Oregon. She worked as a part-time nurse at Emmanuel and Oregon City hospitals while raising her young family.
In 1967, Gene was called to serve two congregations, St. John’s in McMinnville, OR and Trinity Lutheran Church in Sheridan, OR. During this time Wilma worked as a visiting nurse for Yamhill County Home Health eventually going on to be their Director and President of the Oregon Association for Home Care.
In 1985, Gene was called to serve the Peace Lutheran congregation in Monroe, WA. Wilma worked as a full-time nurse in a local family medical practice. She took on the additional responsibilities of clinic coordination when the clinic added an obstetrics division. In 1998, they retired and moved back to McMinnville. Wilma had a chance to make new friends in Susanville, CA during one of Gene’s several interim positions taken during his retirement.
Retiring in McMinnville brought many happy times with friends and family. Camping and traveling, including road trips in the RV and adventures overseas, were their favorite activities. In 2016, they moved to Parkland Retirement Village where they enjoyed the warm community and developed many friendships. In August 2026, they moved to the Vineyard Heights Assisted Living community where Gene still resides.
Faith was an integral part of Wilma’s life. She believed that serving as a pastor’s wife was an honor and important responsibility and participated in many activities in the congregations. Near and dear to her heart was initiating and serving as board member and chairperson for the preschool programs at St. John’s and Peace Lutheran congregations.
In service to her community Wilma was an active volunteer and board member, holding officer positions in several organizations including Mid-Willamette Valley Hospice, Hospice of Yamhill County, Yamhill County Educational Forum for Health Facilities, Social Services Forum of Yamhill County, Yamhill County Elder Abuse Task Force, Senior Services Agency Task Force on In-Home Care, and the local chapter of Grandparents Raising Grandkids.
Wilma was very grateful for a blessed life of serving in ministry, 69 years of a loving marriage, the gift of their four children Kristi, Kraig, Kirk and Keith; 13 grandchildren, Erik, Sam, Jakob, Angela, Devin, Kate, Jason, Jesse, Jocelyn, Ashley, Jeramiah, Avalon and Nathan; 11 great-grandchildren and the rich extended family including the spouses and partners of their children and grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that any donations be directed to either:
