Cecilia Marie (Pettinger) Worlein

Cecilia Marie Worlein was born September 19, 1916,  in Steinauer, Nebraska, to Joseph and Anna Pettinger.  She was the fourth of nine children in her family.  At age four Cecilia wanted to go to school so badly that she walked daily with her older brothers and sister from the family’s farm to town to attend school.   Cecilia graduated from high school at 16 and would have liked to continue her education; however, the next ten years would see the mid-west dust bowl years, the nation-wide depression years and eventually the World War 2 years.  Strong family ties, faith and hard work saw her through the difficult time period.  Eventually she started working in a bank and accounting became her work strength.

In 1944, Cecilia married James (Jim) L. Worlein and they continued farming in the southeastern Nebraska area.  During their marriage four children were born to them, two sons and two daughters. One daughter, Mary Margaret, died at 2 years of age.  In 1952, the family of five moved to Kinzua in Wheeler County for Jim to work in the local lumber mill.  The family decided in 1962 to move to the Gresham/Portland area   Cecilia began working outside the home, largely due to a debilitating injury to her husband. She eventually retired from an accounting job with an asphalt company.   Cecilia lived in the Gresham/Portland area until 2015 when she moved to an assisted living facility in Prineville.  At the age of 101 she maintained she’d seen the horse and buggy travel days and space travel to the moon.

Cecilia and Jim worked hard, spent little on themselves and saved to provide a very comfortable retirement. They traveled the West in a travel trailer after Jim’s retirement, and Cecilia made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in around 2000.

Cecilia was faithful to Christ and His church. She went to Mass each Sunday and on a daily basis after retirement until she became infirm. She drove her children 40 miles to Mass and catechism classes over a desolate and crooked stretch of highway between Kinzua and Condon.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Mary Margaret, and her husband, Jim in 1990.  She is survived by her brother, Raymond Pettinger; sons, Joseph(Joe) and James(Jim); her daughter, Nettie, three grandchildren, three great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. 

In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to Franciscan Sisters Convent,  48100 Historic Columbia River Hwy, Bridal Veil, OR 97010

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