Obituary of Hilma Joyce Mann

Hilma Joyce Mann passed on to her heavenly reward December 6, 2018 in Lacey, Washington. Born August 6, 1936 in Dickinson, North Dakota, she was the youngest of seven children in the Maurice and Hilma Wasem family.  A precocious and social child, she made friends easily and kept them close to her heart throughout her life.

After graduating from her hometown Halliday High School, she attended a business college in Denver, Colorado, leaving early freshman year to visit her boyfriend-since-grade school, Richard Mann. He was in the Navy and stationed at Green Cove Springs, Florida. During this visit, they were secretly married on November 26, 1954. She returned to North Dakota but it didn’t take long to inform her family of events and go back to begin what would be a blissful married life of over 64 years with Richard. They left the Navy in 1957 so Richard could attend the University of North Dakota and, after seven years of school, he became a lawyer. By then they had four children, Richard Mann, Jr. (Lori), Thomas Mann (Lori), Jennifer Anderson (Steve), and Elizabeth Mann.

Hilma and Richard soon took on the nomadic life of an Army family and, for some 27 years, she devotedly followed him around the world, living in Kentucky, Virginia, Germany (twice), and Washington (three times). Everywhere they went, Hilma was an active member of the community, working at thrift shops, day care centers, and the teen center; teaching Sunday school; and participating in Officer Wives Club projects. The consummate mother, she had a natural connection with children, and was referred to as “the baby whisperer.”  Providing love, encouragement, and humor to those around her, she was a story teller and friend who could quickly gain everyone’s attention in a room.

Upon Richard’s retirement, they settled in the South Puget Sound area, with Hilma making homes in University Place, then Lacey, and finally at Patriot’s Landing in DuPont. Though beset by many physical problems and illnesses in her final years, Hilma’s positive outlook and sharp mind remained until the end.

Hilma was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Maurice Wasem (Theresa), William Wasem (Lorraine), and Leslie Wasem (Lenora); and her sisters, Luann Selle (Lloyd) and Dorothy Hess (Jim). She is survived by her husband, four children, 10 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren (with two more on the way).

The family wishes to thank the staffs at Madigan Army Medical Center, St. Joseph Providence Hospital, and the Panorama Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for the fine care they gave Hilma during her final years.

A memorial service will be held Tuesday, December18, 2018, 11:00 a.m. at South Sound Manor, 455 North St. SE, Tumwater, WA 98501. Those wishing to honor Hilma may donate to a charity of your choice in her name.