Christian Schlegel has been volunteering for almost 15 years at the Vancouver St. Vincent Society Conference, sorting donations and stocking shelves in the food pantry. On Sept. 9 — or 9/9/19 — Schlegel will turn 99.
“His smile lights up our office when he arrives on Wednesday morning, as he heads to the coffee pot,” said Carolyn Palmer, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Schlegel is a lifetime resident of Clark County, growing up on a farm in Washougal. He now has five grown children, 14 grandchildren and 46 great-grandchildren. He is a longtime fiddler, taking this skill up when he retired from Crown Zellerbach in 1982, and he still performs with a group at senior lunches and local care facilities. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II as a medic during the Battle of the Bulge, and in addition to volunteering, he enjoys working in his yard and garden.
