Charlotte Vivian Brigfield Driediger
Charlotte Vivian Brigfield Driediger of Mount Vernon arrived in Heaven January 10, 2014.
Charlotte was born to the late Clarence and Frances Dale, November 30, 1918 in Paradise, Oregon. Later the family moved to homestead in Alberta, Canada. Charlotte graduated from the Peace River Bible Institute in April of 1941. She flew to Liberia, West Africa in 1944 to serve as a missionary. It was there she met and married Edgar Brigfield. They served together in Liberia and Nigeria for over twenty years. When they returned to the United States, Ed served as the Chaplin for Crista Senior Community and Charlotte was the Activities Director. A few years after Ed passed away, she married a former missionary, the late Jakob Driediger.
Charlotte lived her life passionate about sharing her faith in God. Her life centered around caring for others. In the Liberian jungle she taught in a one room school house and trekked to villages sharing the Gospel. In Nigeria, Charlotte supervised seven schools and later worked at a boarding school caring for missionary children living away from home.
Charlotte is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Karen and Dennis Rabe, of Mount Vernon and two foster daughters and their families. On the Driediger side she is survived by three step daughters and two step sons and their families. She is survived by three grandchildren and five great grandchildren as well as three step grandchildren and their families. That does not include the numerous many who called her, “Mom,” “Grandma,” or “Aunt Char.” In Canada Charlotte is also survived by three sisters and two brothers along with many nieces and nephews.
Charlotte will be laid to rest beside Edgar Brigfield at the Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery in Seattle, Washington.
5 Responses to “Charlotte Vivian Brigfield Driediger”
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First let me extend our very deepest sympathy to all the children and grandchildren of this amazing lady. It would be easy to fill several pages when the name Auntie Charlotte comes up and I’m sure many of us have at least some of the same memories.
I don’t know many people who have lived their lives with as much courage and devotion as Auntie Charlotte. The word can’t didn’t seem to be in her vocabulary, she seemed to find a way to do things, things that were difficult and she came away smiling.
There was something so special between Auntie Charlotte and Uncle Ed, the love and respect they had for each other, the unending devotion touched me, they were such an example to all of us, ahead of their time in so many ways.
Goodbye Auntie you have earned your rest and for sure you have earned your wings.
I am so thankful to have had such a wonderful person in my life. Grandma and Grandpa were such warm and loving people. I feel blessed to have so many great memories with them. I love and miss you both!
We were blesses greatly by Charlotte and Ed. In 1983, we were just married and getting ready to leave as missionaries to Mexico. Ed and Charlotte were very instrumental in encouraging others in their Sunday School class at Alderwood to be part of our support team. Through their encouragement fifteen to twenty couples began supporting us from their Sunday School class forming our main support base as missionaries. Even though they were retired as missionaries,they showed true concern and effort for reaching people for Christ and for serving Christ. They lived faithful lives for Christ, and now they can rejoice for having done so—“Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Charlotte was an amazing person with an indomitable spirit. She had a heart for God as big as heaven itself.
Charlotte loved adventure, people, flowers, birds and all God’s creatures with a fierce and gentle spirit. I am thankful to have known her and and be called her friend. What a wonderful legacy she left throughout the entire world. She was our angel on earth.
I feel blessed to have had her in my life.
Charlotte always closed our conversations “I am praying blessings on you.” Her prayers are powerful and so we are blessed.
Better late than never. After nearly eight years of the passing of Grandma, Charlotte and Grandpa Ed, I researched on the net about these wonderful people who took me in as a new foreign student from the Gambia. In 1981, I lived with the family in Alderwood Manor for couple of years, free room and board while I attended Shoreline Community College. I kept in touch with them all through the 1980s and a good part of the early 1990s when I studied at WSU in Pullman. I am now residing in the Gambia having achieved my educational goal of earning a PhD. It is with a heavy heart that I write about this family as they lend a helping when it was critically needed. My elder brother, Muhammadou Krubally approached them to help take me in as he was to return to Gambia after completing his studies. As good people of God, I was taken in and I became part of the family bonding with Dennis and Karen and their children, the grant kids, Heather, Grant and Russel. They have always been on my mind. May their souls rest in perfect peace. Hope Karen or Dennis or even their children will read this and reach out by email. I can be reached at: mkrubally@utg.edu.gm God bless the Brigfield family!