Jimmie Iona Schleh of Umatilla passed away in Portland on June 30, 2026 at the age of 74 with great sorrow from her family.
She was born on Jan. 2, 1952 in Pendleton the beautiful and energetic daughter of Alva and Dottie Reeves Stephens.
Jimmie grew up and attended schools in Umatilla. While in high school she excelled in tennis, played in the high school marching band, was homecoming queen, the student body school treasurer and a cheerleader, and was chosen as a Umatilla County Fair court princess. After high school, she attended Northwest Bible College in Kirkland, Wash. for two years. While at Northwest Bible College she volunteered as a counselor for a crisis hotline, where she would meet a fellow volunteer who would become her future husband. Jimmie married Malcolm Schleh on March 20, 1978 in Seattle, Wash. From this union a son, Joshua and a daughter, Megan were born. The couple divorced many years later.
Jimmie attended California State University of Fullerton, Calif. where she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology, and her work was published in scholarly journals. She then applied and was accepted into multiple master’s programs; instead she chose to focus on raising her two children.
Jimmie lived in Southern California from 1982 until 2015. She worked for many of those years as a circuit tester in the telecommunications industry. She retired from the phone company in 2014. She then relocated back to her hometown of Umatilla, where she cared for her father full time for the next eight years.
Jimmie was a phenomenal musician who played the piano, flute, oboe and accordion and excelled at any instrument she picked up. From a young age, Jimmie’s heroes were Beethoven, Chopin and Mozart. She remembered these celebrated composers’ birthdays every year and continued the tradition her entire life. Jimmie loved spending time with her family and enjoyed taking her children on exotic and international vacations.
She enjoyed playing tennis, traveling domestically and internationally, attended every possible solar and lunar eclipse event, she loved going to the beach, reading, loved butterflies and writing (she had authored several books). She served for many years as a member of the Anaheim Vineyard Church while living in California and currently attended the Assembly of God Church in Umatilla. Her faith was something she shared joyfully and her enthusiasm was contagious. Above all, Jimmie was most known for her sacrificial love, often going out of her way to help brighten the day of those around her. She excelled at making everyone feel safe, valued, and loved in her presence.
Jimmie will be truly missed and is survived by her son, Joshua Schleh of Placentia, Calif.; daughter, Megan Schleh of Huntington Beach, Calif.; sister, Jackie Bingner and husband Dave of La Grande; brother, Jerry and wife Cheryl Stephens of Kennewick, Wash.; and her niece, great-nieces and nephews, numerous cousins, extended family and close friends.
Jimmie was preceded in death by her father and mother, Alva and Dottie Stephens; her aunts, Norma Reeves and Patsy Hutchinson; and her uncles, Harold and Bennie Reeves. A graveside service was held on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 at the Sunset Hills Cemetery in Umatilla.
A celebration of life service will be announced at a later time.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in care of arrangements.
