Nyla Verlaine Depaul

Obituary Nyla Verlaine DePaul   Nyla Verlaine DePaul, 90, of Puyallup died peacefully in her sleep Nov. 24, 2014, and raced to heaven to join her husband, Elmer, who had been waiting for her. She was born Aug. 16, 1924, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Laura and Roy D. Young. Her parents were divorced when Nyla and her younger sister were small, so she planned while in high school to become self-supporting, and made sure to take every business and secretarial class that was offered. After graduating in 1942 from Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Nyla started on her big adventure by moving to Seattle with a friend where she began work as a secretary. Mutual friends set her up on a blind date with a young Italian man from Tacoma and that began many, many visits for the two between Seattle and Tacoma. Three months after he proposed, she and Elmer F. DePaul were married June 26, 1949, at St. Rita's Catholic Church in Tacoma. She always worked outside the home, taking a few months off for each of the births of their four children. She was employed for 36 years by Weyerhaeuser Co., first in the Tacoma Building downtown and later commuting to Federal Way when the company built its new corporate headquarters there. She was an executive secretary for most of her career and for years worked in the public affairs department where she coordinated the tours of Weyerhaeuser-owned lands. She flew in the company helicopter with one such tour into the crater several months after Mount St. Helen erupted. That company was lucky to have her as a devoted and loyal employee and for years after her retirement in 1982, she continued to participate in retiree functions. The couple lived most of their married lives in Tacoma. They attended and were active parishioners at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, sending all four children to Sacred Heart School. After 30 years in Tacoma, they bought a new home in Puyallup and became parishioners at St. John of the Woods Catholic Church. Nyla was happiest when she was on the go. She loved to travel and was ready to go anywhere and anytime. She fulfilled dreams by going on two Caribbean cruises and one to Alaska, and cajoled Elmer into traveling to Jamaica and Hawaii and to Des Moines for visits "back home." Gambling always gave her a thrill, whether it was bingo, blackjack or playing the slots. She and Elmer traveled twice a year to Reno and Lake Tahoe to gamble and take in some shows. Nyla had eight aunts and uncles and a bunch of cousins, but the majority of them remained in the Midwest, so she reveled in the love and friendship she found in her husband's large, extended family. She loved happy hour, chocolate, singing and dancing. She was always the fun mom who didn't hesitate to jump in the swimming pool, lace up a pair of roller skates, slide down a snow-covered hill on a sled or be first in line for the roller coaster at the fair. For years, she sang lead with a Sweet Adelines women's barbershop chorus, and also sang in the Sacred Heart Adult Choir. In retirement, she couldn't wait to do some of the volunteer work she'd always had to miss out on while she was working so she volunteered at the Pierce County Blood Bank, and served on the Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Auxiliary. She also got to attend weekday Mass, join the Altar Society, the Amvets Auxiliary and a daytime bowling league. Nyla was always athletic, having run in the famed Drake University Relays in Des Moines as a girl. She and Elmer enjoyed hiking and all sorts of outdoors activities, including fishing and camping, at first in tents and then in a succession of travel trailers. They also participated together in league bowling. In retirement, they joined the Good Sams and helped start an RV club at the Tacoma Elks called Antlers Astray, and they so enjoyed the many friends they made at their clubs' regular campouts. She was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 20 years ago, and she fought hard against it. Because she never wanted anyone feeling sorry for her, many friends and relatives never knew she had the disease, which took its toll on her body, but never, ever had any effect on her spirit. Her motto was "Use it or lose it" and she was determined to keep going as long as she possibly could. Elmer died Aug. 1, 2011, and he had been waiting for her since then to join him. She missed him with all her heart and they are together again at last. She is survived by her four children: Julie (Robert) Smith, Steve (Debi) DePaul, Alan DePaul, and Jeanne (Charles Wilcoxon) DePaul. She also has four grandchildren, Courtney (Cody) Thornborrow, Kailey Smith, and Mario and Bayley DePaul; twin great-granddaughters, Madelynn and Kinsley Thornborrow; and a nephew, Dan Chapman. She was preceded in death by her sister, Inez Young Taylor. Her family has deep gratitude for Kilcha Sekyra and her staff for their loving and respectful care given to Nyla over the last four years. The family suggests donations be made in Nyla's name to the Northwest Parkinson's Foundation, 400 Mercer St., Suite 502, Seattle, WA 98109. A rosary will be recited at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 28, followed by her Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Friday, both at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 4520 McKinley Ave. A lunch will follow in the church's parish hall, with burial at Calvary Cemetery, 5212 70th St. W. All are in Tacoma. Please leave online condolences at www.gaffneycares.com. Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home, (253) 572-6003.