Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Sigrid Therese Schreyer Scully was born in Berlin, Germany, on July 11, 1927, to Charolette Katzman and Karl Schreyer. Sigrid passed Jan. 5, 2026, in The Dalles, Oregon.
Sigrid was an only child and her mother died when she was a young girl. In 1930, as Germany became politically unstable, Sigrid and her father immigrated to America. Soon after, her father was forced to take her back to Germany while he returned to work in America. Sigrid happily spent her early school years with her aunt and uncle in Berlin. However, separation from her father was difficult and Nazi Germany was frightening. By 1937, her father had secured his United States citizenship and a visa to bring Sigrid back to America.
Her father settled with Sigrid in New York City, where she finished high school at Richmond Hill in Long Island, New York, later attending Brooklyn College, and she also studied at Rutger’s University. In 1945, she took her first full-time job with American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T). Jobs with Macy’s, DeVries Landscaping, Otis Elevator, AAA and Frito-Lay followed. Before “retiring” at the age of 75, Sigrid had held 28 different jobs, including assistant librarian; curator for an electrical museum; proofreader for Grolier Encyclopedia; landscape designer; and a personal chef. She was proud of the fact that her career was so varied and that she was never laid off or fired.
Sigrid met her husband, Joe Scully, on a train heading to Grand Central Station. They married Sept. 9, 1950, in the Catskill Mountains, where her stepmother Emmy worked as a chef. Together, she and Joe had three children: Sue, Jan and Tom. Six grandchildren — Dan, Meghan, Hap, Chris, Joan and Margaret — and three great-grandchildren — Brooke, Lincoln and Dante — were a source of joy and pride.
After enjoying vacations at working farms and ranches, she and Joe decided to move to the west, living in New Mexico, Colorado and Oregon. She and Joe retired to their ranch in Colorado in 1992 and later moved back to Oregon in 2000. Joe passed away March 20, 2004.
A lifelong volunteer, Sigrid spent hundreds of hours in retirement teaching, tutoring and advocating. In 2014, Oregon Gov. Kitzhaber awarded her the Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Award. Sigrid was known not only for helping hundreds of children and adults to read but for speaking up and advocating for women’s opportunities and rights in the workplace. “Curiosity is the key to the education. Without it, life would be bland and with it life is stimulating and diverse.”
Throughout her life, Sigrid enjoyed singing, dancing, swimming, reading and writing. As a young woman, she was an avid cyclist who even participated in races. Her life-long passion for travel took her on many trips, including sharing her love of Europe and cruising with her children and grandchildren. Sigrid was very proud to have visited all 50 states. Sig, as many fondly called her, never stopped keeping busy.
In 2023, at age 96, she published a children’s book. “If I Could” tells a tale of stuffed animal friends and the joys of all having fun together. Sigrid was a proud American who loved her family and friends. She attributed her phenomenal life to God and being grateful for and interested in everyone and everything. Her father taught her to be curious and learn, Joe taught her that “God is good and to never be afraid and try everything”. Sig’s favorite song was “It Had To Be You” and her motto was we need each other.
Sigrid will join Joe at the Willamette National Cemetery, with a memorial planned for this summer in Hood River. Sigrid’s family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to SafeSpace Advocacy Center of the Gorge at safespaceac.org.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.