Rex Norman Winder

Rex was born in Sydney, Australia to John R. Winder and Barbara J. Rees, but he took his first steps in his beloved Colorado. There, he grew into a young man on a sheep ranch, surrounded by hundreds of acres of wild forest. Under his father’s watchful eye, and alongside his brothers Brad and Scott and his sister Joan, he worked the ranch, rode horses, and slept beneath the open sky.

He later moved with his mother and siblings to Portland, Oregon while still in high school, graduating from Washington High School in 1969. He went on to attend Oregon State University, his alma mater, graduating in 1974 with a degree in education.

Following graduation, Rex and Julianne Fee were  married, and together they  returned to Australia, where they both taught school in the rural outback. True to Winder fashion, they also welcomed their first child, Sarah, in Australia, during that time.

After returning to Portland, they had two more children, Mike and Geoff. The family thrived, and his children carry with them deeply idyllic memories of those years.

Rex soon realized that teaching was not his true vocation. He entered the insurance business and, with the help of several people who he never forgot, he became very successful.

In 1999, Rex and Julie’s paths diverged, but they remained close friends as they raised their children into adulthood.

Rex was one of the smartest people you could ever meet, with a quick wit and a deep love of puzzles, games, and any good challenge. He brought a sense of fun to life and was always willing to help others. Rex valued the people he worked with, and many became lifelong friends. 

One of those people was Georgia Wilcox. Through a series of coincidental events, the two became a couple in September 2011. Rex would say it was simply a matter of changing his address with the post office—but in truth, they became one. Together they spent the next 15 years celebrating life and their deep love for one another.

They traveled the world together and welcomed 13 grandchildren into their family. They bought and ran the Fulton House bed-and-breakfast. They raised multiple litters of Bernese Mountain Dog puppies. They truly had the world in their hands.

Earlier this year Rex was diagnosed with a rare and terminal leukemia. While we had hoped to have more time together, we take solace in the fact that he passed peacefully and surrounded by family.

He will be missed so, so dearly—by all who knew him, and most of all by those who loved him best.

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