Sandra Julaine Schierman Odren

Sandra Schierman was born on July 12, 1936 in Shelton, Washington. After a short stay in Olympia, her family moved to Vancouver in 1942, where her father and mother built their house on W. 27th Street. Sandra attended Hough Elementary School, Shumway Junior High School and graduated from Vancouver High School in 1954. After attending St. Olaf College in Minnesota for a year, she transferred to Pacific Lutheran University where she graduated with a Major in Sociology and a Minor in Music in 1959. That same year she began her long and devoted career with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS); a career as an advocate for the children and families of not only her region, but the entire State of Washington. A longtime member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Vancouver, she continued to maintain a strong Lutheran faith as recent member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Hazel Dell.

It was during her career that she met her husband, Roy Odren, also a social worker, and they married in 1964. Sandra and Roy lived in Hazel Dell until they built their dream home on five acres near Fargher Lake, north of Battle Ground, WA in 1992. Following the death of her husband in 2003, she moved back to Hazel Dell in 2010 to be closer to family and friends.

From 1966 through 1968, Sandra attended the University of British Columbia with her husband where they both received Masters Degrees in Social Work. She quickly returned to work, and when the State of Washington reorganized and provided individual welfare services for children and family services, she eventually became the Area Manager for the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) where she remained until her retirement in 1996, 37 years later. Along the way, Sandra provided lobbing efforts to cement funding and legislation for children, family and mental health services for her area as well as the state, was charter member and held positions on Boards of Director for several local social non-profit organizations, all while maintaining a tireless drive to work even more for the children and families of Southwest Washington.

As Sandra continued to give of herself for social service advancement, health problems caused her to cut back her community involvement. Through many difficult surgeries, medical treatments and finally kidney dialysis, she persevered. At the time of her passing, she sat on the Boards of Director for Innovative Services Northwest (INSW), Educational Opportunities for Children and Families (EOCF) and the Human Services Council of Clark County. Past volunteer service has included serving as Chair of the Community Health and Safety Network. This dedication to social service causes has been memorialized through the many awards and honors she has received. In 2003, the EOCF family service center was named in her honor. In 2005, she was first recipient of the EveAnn Classen Leadership Award as sponsored by INSW. Her colleagues also honored her for 14 years of service on the Board of Directors for the Clark County Community Health and Safety Network in 2008.

In addition to many family vacations, Sandra and her husband often spent time at Hood Canal in their travel trailer and enjoyed boating. Since their retirement, they had traveled to Alaska together, visited relatives in other parts of the country, and had hosted many family gatherings. In the early years of her life she was an orchestra violinist, enjoyed tennis, played pinochle with her friends and maintained a steady schedule for watching Jeopardy. Sandra was also a voracious reader, reading sometimes two or three books a week.

Her parents, John “Al” and Cora Schierman, her sister Linda Pierce and her husband, Roy Odren Jr, precede Sandra in death. She is survived by her son, Michael Odren (Libby) of Vancouver, WA, step-daughters Linda Wear (Gerry) of Vancouver, WA and Annette Odren (Craig Smith) of Minneapolis, MN, eight grandchildren, Joshua Fully, Rachel Fully, Lillian Smith, Jesse Wear, Samuel Wear, Emma Smith, Kendra Odren and Nathaniel Smith, and two great-grandchildren, DeAngelo Mitchell Fully and Leland Fully.

A celebration of life will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church, 905 NW 94th Street, Vancouver, WA, on Saturday, June 2nd, 2012 at 1:00 p.m., with a reception following at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Educational Opportunities For Children and Families (EOCF).

“She’s no longer in pain

And now with her Love

All with the strength

From the LORD above.”