Carmen Wickam

Carmen Kay (Lewis) Wickam, 67, of Baker City, passed away due to complications from ALS, Wednesday, November 6, 2019 at her home with husband Rod by her side.  A Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, November 13, 2019~11:00 a.m. at the Baker City Christian Church (675 Hwy 7) in Baker City. Friends are invited to join the family for a potluck immediately following the service at the church.

Carmen was born on January 10, 1952, to Robert (Bob) Lewis and Esther (Jeffords) Lewis in Enterprise, Oregon. She was the oldest of three children; brothers Vearl and Bobb Lewis followed. Carmen grew up in beautiful Wallowa County, hanging out with her brothers, grandparents and cousins and watching her brothers play sports. She was involved in 4-H; participated in cooking, sewing and showing Herford steers, which were raised on her grandfather’s ranch. She enjoyed comparing pictures of her prize winning Herford steer with her granddaughters’ prize winning Angus steers. She graduated from Wallowa High School, class of 1970.

Carmen met her husband Rodney (Rod) Wickam at the park in Baker City. They married December 18, 1971 at a small ceremony in Wallowa. They had three children. July 1972 they welcomed their first daughter Rhonda Kay; July 1975 their second daughter Heidi Marie and son Adam Charles completed the family January 1981. She and Rod started raising their family in a small house on Grove Street, before moving to Elgin. They   returned to Keating Valley where they lived for many years before moving into Baker. Through her children, she kept her love of 4-H going as their 4-H leader for many years.

Carmen started volunteering at the Baker County Public Library in September 1986 and was hired full time June 30, 1988. She worked faithfully for 30 years, retiring June 30, 2018 as the Library Administrative Manager. She loved to read mystery novels and to be the first person to open the pages of a new book. In her free time she loved being “Gram” to her two granddaughters Morgan Marie and Carley Kay; going to softball, volleyball and 4-H events, making cookies, breads or teaching the fine art of shelving books.  Carmen and Rod enjoyed going to their cabin and gardening. They took many “drive abouts”, seeing Oregon, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington, Canada, the Dakotas and all over the mountains of Eastern Oregon. December 2018, they celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary having pizza overlooking the Pacific Ocean from Kauai.

She is preceded in passing by parents Robert and Esther Lewis, grandparents Edgar and Effie Lewis and Wendell and Myrtle Jeffords.

Carmen is survived by her husband Rod, daughters’ Rhonda Wickam, Heidi Johnson (son-in-law Sam), son Adam Wickam, granddaughters’ Morgan Johnson and Carley Johnson (grandson-in-law Stephen Schott), brothers’ Vearl and Bobb Lewis and Stubby their faithful slipper watching, ice cream eating dog.

For those who would like to make a Donation in memory of Carmen, the family requests OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home PO Box 543 Halfway, Oregon 97834.  Online condolences can be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com