Obituary of Valerie Elaine Bieber

Valerie Elaine Bieber Vancouver, Washington September 5, 1936 ~ September 17, 2020 Valerie Bieber died September 17, 2020 in Vancouver, Washington at age 84 with her husband of 64 years and children and grandchildren by her side. She was born Valerie Elaine Brunson on September 5, 1936 in Missoula, Montana. She had a challenging childhood, losing her father as a little girl, living with relatives and in foster care at times, and then losing her mother as a teenager. But with love and support from extended family she never let those difficult beginnings damper her joy of life. She had an infectious sense of humor and loved to celebrate events big and small. Valerie married Roger Bieber on April 15, 1956 in Missoula, and they had two daughters and two sons in the next 5 years. She was a homemaker while her children were young, caring for the family and making adventures of winter sledding, summer camping and every birthday and holiday in between. She enjoyed playing cards and board games, sewing and needlepoint crafts, and cooking. Nothing Val did was complete without family and friends. She absolutely loved getting together to visit and laugh and share anything she had with anyone. When all her kids were in elementary school Valerie began secretarial work for Northern Pacific Railroad until 1969 when the family moved to Pullman, Washington for Roger’s postgraduate degree at Washington State University. During their 2 years in Pullman she worked for the Home Economics Department and the ROTC at WSU. More importantly, she made new lifelong friends, which was where she truly excelled. Anyone who was alone on a holiday, or even a weekend, was invited to Val’s house for a home cooked meal and games with her family. In 1971 Valerie and her family moved to Vancouver, Washington, where she worked for the Veterans Administration Hospital and later for Bonneville Power Administration, where she retired in 1994. She then worked part time for a few years with C-Van as a specialty bus driver for ADA and Senior Mobility. It was a perfect fit for her desire to help others and her love of talking with strangers, which happened quite often with Val in stores and restaurants – but was also how she made many friends. In retirement, Valerie and Roger took trips all over the United States visiting national parks, historic sites, Alaska and Hawaii, and enjoyed numerous vacations with friends, family, children and grandchildren. When at home, Val often had one or more of her young grandkids over to spend the night, make cookies, and put together puzzles. Older grandkids who visited could count on having a meal there and leaving with dinner and dessert for the next day. Valerie was a loving and supportive wife to Roger, helping him through many years of higher education. She was also his partner in building two of their family homes and remodeling many others. She often said that just when they got a place fixed the way they wanted they would move somewhere else. But she entered every new undertaking with a sense of fun and adventure. Roger has said that she brought bubbles to life, and there’s no better way to define what she meant to her family. Valerie is survived by husband Roger, two daughters, Roxanne Weaver (Marc Crump), Traci Mitchel (Dexter), two sons, Gregg (Lynne), Scott (Melissa), brother Robert Brunson, sister Valetta Hutcheson, 13 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and many cousins, nieces and nephews. A celebration of Valerie's life will be scheduled for a later date. The family appreciates memorial contributions to Alzheimer's Association - https://www.alz.org/