Diantha Ruth Weilepp

Diantha Ruth (Palmrose) Weilepp was born October 6, 1945 in Minneapolis Minnesota and passed away August 15, 2026 in Portland Oregon. Her father, Edwin G. Palmrose MD was a flight surgeon with the Army Air Corps during WWII and her mother Zoe Vanna Christ was a nurse. Diantha was the first born to Ed and Zoe. The parents subsequently had seven more children, ZoeVanna Palmrose PhD, Marjorie Palmrose, Frank Palmrose MD, Thomas Palmrose, Janice Palmrose, Steve Palmrose, and Donald Palmrose.

After end of the war Dr. Palmrose moved the family to Beaverton Oregon. Subsequently Dr. Palmrose moved the growing family to Astoria Oregon, near where he had grown up in Seaside OR. Dr. Palmrose was part of general medical practice in Astoria for many years. After living in a house on the top of the hill in Astoria Dr. Palmrose built a house on the south side of the hill for the family. His wife, Zoe Vanna passed away when Diantha was 12 years old from complications from a ninth pregnancy. After a few years of single parenthood Dr. Palmrose remarried to Hazel Teller Cole . Some time after his remarriage Dr. Palmrose sold his practice in Astoria and took a position with the Veterans Affairs hospital in Roseburg OR. When Dr. Palmrose retired from the VA he moved back to Seaside Oregon where he resided until he and Hazel needed more help and moved to an assisted living complex in Beaverton, where they passed away.

By the time of the family move to Roseburg Diantha had left home, pursuing higher education first at Clatsop Community College (which her father had helped found), and subsequently at Oregon State University in Corvallis OR. Diantha finished her college education as a double major in library science and physical anthropology at the University of Oregon, Eugene. During college Diantha supported herself with jobs in Eugene, and in Alaska and Astoria canneries. After graduation Diantha spent several years living in a cabin in the woods near Saddle Mountain she built herself. She would work in the canneries in the summer and spend the winter in the cabin.

Eventually the desire to have her own horse lead to a move into town (Astoria) and a position at the Clatsop College Library, where she worked the next 19 years. Her horse, Fantasia, was boarded first at a stable just off Walluski Loop, and later at a stable in Jeffers Gardens on the old Hwy 101 loop. In order to afford a horse Diantha gave up driving and used a bicycle for transportation. Diantha's duties at the Library included using the their first computer to process Interlibrary Loans. In this role she worked closely with authors on research and is credited in at least two published works for her assistance. Diantha had many animals over the years including dogs, cats, horses, goats, and chickens. All of her animals benefited from the best care.

While she was working at the library Bruce Weilepp approached Diantha looking for a crew person to steer his big rowboat. Bruce was at the time the Associate Curator at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria. Following courtship Bruce and Diantha were married at the Episcopal church in Astoria by Pastor Sally Shippen on November 29, 1988. The couple purchased a house in Astoria on the corner of Harrison and Sixth streets. In 1992 Bruce accepted a position at the Pacific County Historical Society in South Bend WA and the couple moved across the river. From 1992 to her passing in 2026 Diantha and Bruce lived at 724 E. Water St in South Bend. After leaving the Clatsop College library Diantha tried several jobs around South Bend and Raymond, including dispatching for Pacific Transit and proofreading for the Willapa Harbor Herald before returning to library work with the Timberland System. She was a substitute clerk for TRL working most of the libraries in the system for a number of years before taking a regular position at the South Bend branch. Diantha's deep knowledge information systems and curiosity lead to her fielding reference questions from library

patrons. In this role her deep passion for classical history and mythology was an inspiration for many. At 70 years of age Diantha chose to retire but was immediately recruited to run the Friends of South Bend Library book sale for the next ten years.

Diantha's life-long interest in anthropology and the study of human skeletons lead to her desire to become a fossil herself. Therefore her body will be placed in an active sedimentation location off the mouth of the Columbia River on September 13, 2026