Born in an Alberta hamlet and raised in a small Idaho town, Term Nylund was a divorced mother of four and meat wrapper at a Lewiston Safeway store when she met Chuck Nylund, who rose to become a top manager at the Vancouver office of Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc.
Her life would never be the same.
And neither would thousands of lives touched by many large donations she made as one of Clark County’s pre-eminent female philanthropists.
Thelma E. Nylund — who kept her age a closely guarded secret and was always “29” to family and friends — died Saturday at Southwest Washington Medical Center. She was 72.
The Camas resident was fighting leukemia after beating back breast cancer several years ago, her family said.
A life celebration is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Cascade Park Baptist Church, 1201 S.E. 136th Ave. in Vancouver.
Nylund’s four children and 10 grandchildren were the light of her life, said those who knew her.
That explains countless gifts, several in the six-figure dollar range, to local nonprofit groups such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Children’s Center, Children’s Home Society, the Washington State School for the Blind, and YWCA and YMCA chapters in Clark County.
There also were large donations to Guide Dogs for the Blind, the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, and many cancer-related facilities.
Which is how an ultrasound room at the Kearney Breast Center at the Southwest Washington Medical Center bears Nylund’s name, serving as inspiration to those who wage similar battles.
“Term is a giver. She’s a breast cancer survivor. She’s in my community. She is why I’m receiving some of the best medical care possible,” wrote Krista Colvin. Colvin is a younger Camas woman blogging about her own breast cancer, in conjunction with The Columbian.
A family changing room at the Clark County Family YMCA near Orchards also bears the Nylund name following a large gift there, officials said.
Nylund was a strong, valued presence in any philanthropic endeavor, organizers recalled Tuesday.
“She … just inspired people with her elegance and her quiet dignity,” said Jennifer Werdel, development and communications director for YWCA Clark County. Werdel said she gave unrestricted money, “the most valued kind,” for 17 years.
She was a reliable booster of the YWCA’s annual benefit and luncheon and its annual auction. With some close friends, she was more recently instrumental in starting a Classic Wines auction in Portland that fast grew to become the country’s fifth-largest charity wine auction, Werdel said. Proceeds go to several area children’s and family groups.
“There’s people in life you meet that you just want to do stuff with,” Werdel said. “I know that’s how it was for everyone she came in touch with.”
“This world has lost a grand human being, and heaven has gained an amazing spirit,” said Terry Murphy, a friend. Murphy owns Design Showroom and had done interior work for Nylund. She also worked on charitable efforts with her.
Term’s largesse was a product of her 21-year marriage with Chuck Nylund, which ended in divorce.
She had come very far since her birth in tiny Meadowview, Alberta, not far from Edmonton.
By secondary school, her family had moved to Weippe, Idaho, near the Clearwater River east of Lewiston.
She married Milton Wilson and the two had four children — daughters Beverly (Dobrinski), Bonnie (Hunt) and Tina (Bowman), and son, Wayne Wilson — then later divorced.
She married Nylund in 1975. The two lived in Oregon before they settled in Vancouver.
Nylund threw herself into local activities and global travel, often accompanied by friends. She remained physically active, enjoying the gym and skiing, biking and walking.
Her east Vancouver home was the site of many gourmet dinners; its stately interior and exterior landscaping made the pages of The Columbian more than once.
“She was a beautiful lady, in every regard. She was always enthusiastically giving to make things happen,” said Dollie Lynch, wife of Ed Lynch, former president of the Kiewit construction firm. He worked closely with her husband during the 1970s and 80s.
“What a loss to the community,” Dollie Lynch said.
“She was a wonderful mother, she was a great daughter, sister, a friend, she never met a stranger and always made people feel very welcome,” said her daughter Beverly Dobrinski of Camas. “She gave of her time and her talents. … And I’m sure she will be missed by everybody whose life she touched.”
Dobrinski added, “I want everybody to know she went home to heaven and will have no health problems. Everything is perfect now.”
Nylund is to be cremated at Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery & Funeral Chapel.
She later will be interred with other family members in Weippe, her family said.
