Robert Earl Oehlschlaeger

Robert Earl Oehlschlaeger, 89, passed away July 7, 2022. Earl, as he was known by, was born in Pasco, Wash., to Paul and Mary (MacReynolds) Oehlschlaeger on July 15, 1932.

After spending several years on their Connell, Wash., farm, the Oehlschlaeger family moved to a farm near Reardan, Wash., where Earl graduated from high school in 1950. After attending college, he joined the Navy and spent four years exploring the Mediterranean world before coming back to Reardan to farm. Earl married Gayle Marie DeRusha in June 1964, and in 1966 they moved to the Pullman, Wash. area where Earl attended Washington State University, graduating with a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics while working for the US Department of Agriculture.

After moving to Moscow, Idaho with his wife and two daughters, Earl was employed by Spokane Community College as an agricultural extension farm agent for more than 25 years, helping the farmers of Whitman County manage their crops, their insurance, their books and, even more importantly, helping them to make farming an easier, more enjoyable and more productive endeavor. When he retired, Earl left behind many farming families who will never forget his ability to instruct them with wisdom, caring and humor.

After the passing of his wife Gayle in 1996, Earl retired. The following year he met and fell in love with his next-door neighbor, Marcia Selden Niles, a Professor of Accounting at the University of Idaho. They were married in August 1997 and, after Marcia retired, moved back to the farm near Reardan, Wash. where they spent the next 17 years farming and enjoying the community around Reardan. Earl had finally come back to the place he loved best.

Earl was preceded in death by his parents Paul and Mary Oehlschlaeger, his sister Lillian McKeen, and his brother Glenn Oehlschlaeger. He leaves behind his wife Marcia Niles, his two daughters, Diane (Doug) Haven of Germany and Denise (John Pool) deRocher of Missouri, and several step-daughters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be given to http://www.andraheart.org. Donations will support Lincoln County needs. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at http://www.strate-funeral.com for the Oehlschlaeger family.

Strate Funeral Home, Davenport, Wash., is caring for the family.