Dorothea Elisabeth Yonker

January 21, 1928 - November 12, 2015

Corvallis resident Thea Yonker, 87, passed away peacefully at the Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House on Nov. 12, 2015. Thea was born and raised in Wurzberg, Germany, and endured the ravages of World War II with her home being destroyed by aerial bombing near the end of the war. After the war she worked in England and then eventually moved to the United States in the 1950s. She married Nicholas J. Yonker (deceased since 2013) in 1960 while living in New York City. They moved to Corvallis in 1961 where her husband became a professor of religious studies at Oregon State University. In Corvallis she stayed at home to raise their three boys, Nick, Rob and Mark. In 1975, Thea developed a passion for real estate and became a landlord to eventually 25 rental properties throughout the Corvallis and Philomath area. In addition, she also worked as a cook to several fraternities on the Oregon State campus during the 1980s and 1990s. She maintained the rentals all the way up to the time of her death. She is survived by her children, Nick and wife Lori, Rob and wife Jennifer, and Mark; and five grandchildren. No services are planned. Thea's ashes will be combined with her late husband Nick's and scattered at one of their favorite places on the Oregon Coast — Seal Rock. Thea loved education and considered herself a lifelong learner. Please share your thoughts and memories for the family at www.demossdurdan.com