Cleo Elvira Herndon's Obituary
Cleo Elvira Herndon Wiedrich
Loving daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, talented pianist and liturgical pipe
organist, Cleo Herndon Wiedrich, passed away peacefully on June 27, 2022, and is now home in the
loving arms of the Lord.
Cleo was born to Reuben and Emma Buchmann on July 9, 1927, in Beulah, North Dakota. She moved to
Oregon City in 1941 with her parents and her baby brother Jim. She graduated from Oregon City High
School in 1945.
On August 7, 1949 she married Albert ‘Dale’ Herndon. They made their home in Gladstone, Oregon. She
was a devoted wife and loving mother to two children, Nadine and Richard. Dale and Cleo enjoyed life
together! Numerous summer vacations were spent on Flathead Lake in Montana with extended family
members boating and playing music. Cleo loved an adventure. Dale and Cleo traveled extensively
throughout the United States and spent many happy winters in the Arizona sunshine after their
retirement. They spent time visiting family and friends, playing pinochle and having impromptu music
sessions. Cleo always traveled with her keyboard and accordion. She loved to go and have a good time.
After Dale’s passing she traveled to Alaska, New York, New Orleans, Washington DC and Lake Shasta
with her family. Time spent with her grandchildren Ben, Ashley and Stephanie was a joy. And then
holding the great grandchildren became treasured moments in her later years. She was known to the
great grandchildren as ‘Grandma Great’.
In November of 1996, she married Ben Wiedrich. Ben and Cleo enjoyed playing their accordions
together. They were quite a musical duo. They also enjoyed eating old time German food, dancing the
polka, spending time with family and going to Arizona for the winter and North Dakota in the summer.
Cleo loved music especially classical and sacred music, although she loved listening to her brother Jim,
play Dixieland Jazz. She started piano lessons at the age of six and continued through high school. She
graduated from Clackamas Community College June 1984, in Liberal Arts. As an adult she took private
music lessons and music lessons at Lewis & Clark College and Marylhurst College.
Professionally she was a liturgical church organist for 35 years, serving congregations at Zion Lutheran in
Oregon City, St Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Gladstone, West Linn Lutheran and St Paul of Damascus.
She was also the staff organist for three funeral homes in the Oregon City area. She was an active
member of the American Guild of Organists, Portland Oregon Chapter.
Cleo was preceded in death by her parents, Reuben and Emma Buchmann, half sister, Doris Sutheimer,
her husbands, Dale Herndon and Ben Wiedrich, and son, Richard Herndon.
Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Nadine and Mike Zimmerlund, daughter-in-law, Shelly
Herndon, brother and sister-in-law, Maynard ‘Jim’ and Andrea Buchmann. Grandchildren include Ben
Herndon and Becka Wilcox, Ash and Ashley Herndon-Dubra, Nate and Stephanie Aggrey. Great
grandchildren include Nesa, Scottie-Jo, Rosalee, Ezra and Malachi.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial gifts be given to Zion Lutheran Church Music
Program, 720 Jefferson St, Oregon City, OR 97045 or online giving at zionlutheranelca.org.
A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, August 28, 2022 at 2:00 pm at Zion Lutheran Church.
Arrangements by Holman-Hankins-Bowker & Waud. www.waudsfuneralservice.com
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