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Veronica C. E. Sitton of Corvallis died on April 21, 2017 at 6:30 a.m. as a result of a stroke. She was 96 years of age. She was born in Mitchell, Queensland, Australia, to T. L. Wilton O'Brien and his wife, Emily Isabel Munro O'Brien, of “Walgrove” Station near Yeulba. She was educated, both academically and musically, by the Sisters of Mercy in Mitchell, Toowoomba and Brisbane. After graduating from the Queensland Teachers’ College, Brisbane, which is now part of Queensland University of Technology, she was taught in Rockhampton. That is where she met her future husband, Lieutenant Gordon Sitton of the United States Army, when he was stationed there between campaigns in the Pacific Theater. Veronica and Gordon were married at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Brisbane, Queensland, on January 12, 1944. After Gordon’s return from Japan and Veronica’s arrival from Australia on the Matson liner, “Mariposa,” they began their life together in May 1946 in San Francisco. Many people were not optimistic about “wartime marriages” but this couple enjoyed fifty-one years of happiness together. They both came from pioneer families on the land and had backgrounds in education. While her husband worked on his doctorate at Stanford University, Veronica was employed at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford as an editor. Her whole life was interwoven with education. As a child, her grandmother told her she should learn something new every day or she might as well be dead. She followed this advice and had a fascinating life. She travelled extensively, worldwide, spending thirty years in countries other than the United States. She promoted international goodwill and understanding whether she was in a primitive hut, a palace or a head hunters’ longhouse. Many of her interests coincided with her husband's. As a professor of agricultural economics, he worked to improve the world's food supply, an interest she shared. When Dr. Sitton became the first Director of International Education at Oregon State University, from 1963 to 1976, Veronica found joy in welcoming and entertaining people from all over the world. She regarded them as members of the same human family that she belonged to. Wherever she was, her faith was an integral part of her life. In Corvallis, she was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church and worked for many years to establish the OSU Newman Center. She believed strongly in exercising her right to vote, which her ancestors had fought and died to obtain. She never failed to vote in an election and took an active part in civic affairs. She came from a country where people were fined for not voting. She recently counted and found that she had played one hundred roles during her life. Chief among them, after wife and mother, were pianist, violinist, conductor, teacher, and author. She did many years of worldwide, historical research and wrote several books and articles about history and the biographies of pioneers in Australia and Oregon. She was dearly loved by her family and many others who met her. She will be missed deeply. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon, who died in 1995; brother Patrick Brian O’Brien; sister Colleen Moira O’Brien Kamber. She is survived by daughter Ruth Sitton De Maio (Michael) of Corvallis; and son, Patrick Sitton of Corvallis; three grandchildren, Father Dominic De Maio, O.P., Emily Sitton De Maio Fromm (Stephen) of Eugene, Christina Sitton De Maio Leitz (Jay) of Hammond, Louisiana; and step-grandchild Michael De Maio III; two great-grandchildren Lucy Mae Fromm and Michael August Fromm; niece Jacqueline Kamber Hosford (Christopher); and nephews Roland and Pierre Kamber; and a multitude of Sitton nieces,nephews and cousins. There will a vigil at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 1 at McHenry Funeral Home, 206 NW 5th St, Corvallis. There will be a funeral Mass at 10 a.m. on May 2 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 501 NW 25th St, Corvallis followed by a reception. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. on May 2 at McBride Cemetery, Carlton, followed by a supper. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Talking Book Services for the Blind, Oregon State Library, Salem, care of McHenry Funeral Home, 206 N. W. Fifth Street, Corvallis, OR 97330.

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Veronica Cecelia Elizabeth Sitton

April 10, 1921 - April 21, 2017