Odelia Buchwitz Obituary (1936 - 2026)

Odelia Rosina Buchwitz May 05, 1936 – Feb 22, 2026 Odelia Rosina Buchwitz was born May 5, 1936, in Hagel Township, North Dakota. She was the second oldest of five children born to Adam and Annie Keller. In 1942, the family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where her father pursued a new job. They then returned to her beloved Harvey, North Dakota, in 1944, where she grew up and married her sweetheart, Richard Buchwitz. In the 1950s, the couple moved with their first-born son to the Pacific Northwest to pursue employment at The Boeing Company. They built their forever home in Enumclaw, Washington, in 1967. It was there that they raised their three children: Jeffrey, Melody, and Leon. Odelia had been an active member of the Moose Lodge since 1967. She also loved traveling across the country in her motorhome with her husband, Richard. She worked for The Boeing Company in the aerospace industry as an AWACS lead. After retiring from Boeing, she spent the winter months at Palm Creek in Arizona, where she loved playing water volleyball and socializing. In the summer months, she enjoyed going to the Senior Center in town to listen to music and dance; it always brought a smile to her face. She was also an avid gardener and loved camping. She was preceded in death by her devoted husband, Richard Buchwitz; her parents, Adam and Annie Keller; her brother, Melvin Keller; and sister, Irene Fandrich. She is survived by her three children: Jeffrey Buchwitz (Puyallup, Washington), Melody Bischoff (Enumclaw, Washington), and Leon Buchwitz (Las Cruces, New Mexico). Odelia’s siblings are Orville and Peggy Keller (Redmond, Washington) and Geraldine and Tom Anderson (Hoschton, Georgia). She is also survived by two grandchildren: Frank Bischoff (Greenbank, Washington) and Mark Bischoff (Yelm, Washington). Her celebration of life will be held at the Senior Activity Center in Enumclaw on April 25th from 1pm – 3pm. We encourage you to share your memories of Odelia and upload photos on her memorial page, celebrating a life that was nothing short of extraordinary.