Nadia Caldwell Saulsbury (Shimer), passed away peacefully after a brief illness on February 24, 2024 in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the age of 94. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania to Dr. William and Vera Shimer (Lozinsky), she grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After completing secretarial studies at Moravian College for Women she worked briefly for General Motors Acceptance Corp. before being selected by the U.S. Department of State for an assignment in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There she met and married Max Ray Caldwell, a U.S. Foreign Service Officer also on his first posting, on March 13, 1953. She spent the next 20 years as a diplomat's wife, living in Germany, Lebanon, Argentina, Panama, Ivory Coast, Venezuela, Philippines, and Bolivia; raising three loving children along the way.
In 1973 Nadia and Max retired to his hometown of Stillwater, Oklahoma. Nadia worked for First Gunn Financial Group in Stillwater until 1982, when she and Max moved to Sequim, Washington. Shortly after their move, Nadia visited Fairchild Travel in Sequim to book a trip and ended up working there for more than 10 years, specializing in tour groups to destinations around the world.
Max Caldwell died in 1994, after a long battle with lymphoma. Nadia was later blessed to meet a wonderful gentleman, Bernard K. (Keith) Saulsbury, whom she married on November 30, 1996. Keith's family lovingly embraced her, richly adding his children and grandchildren to her life. Nadia and Keith enjoyed 8 happy years of marriage prior to his death in 2004.
An avid golfer and bridge player, Nadia continued to live at Sunland Golf & Country Club in Sequim, with frequent travel to visit family, until May 2023, when she moved to Tulsa to be closer to both of her daughters.
Although her time in Tulsa was brief, she enjoyed good health and time with family until her unexpected hospitalization on February 3, 2024.
Nadia was preceded in death by her husbands Max Caldwell and Keith Saulsbury, her sister Dorothy Fisher, and her niece Carolyn Leiby.
She is survived by her son Eric and wife Louise Caldwell; daughter Adair and husband Jay Johnson; daughter Alicia Todahl; stepson Larry and wife Karen McDonald; her grandchildren Laura and husband Charles Amadon; Kevin and wife Lauren Johnson; David and wife Andrea Caldwell; and Keith Johnson, and her great-grandchildren Henry, Theodore and Willa Amadon; Lincoln and Elizabeth Johnson; as well as Larry and Karen's children Michele, Patrick, and grandchildren Katie, Henry, Andy, Claire and Jack. She is also survived by her niece Christina and husband Joe Lehnert; their children Vicki and husband Dan Potter, Joanna and husband Thomas Maguire; grandchildren Brooklyn and Hudson Potter and Margot Maguire; nephew Martin Leiby and his children Richard Leiby and Melissa and husband Matthew LaBuda; and grandchildren Marshall and Morgan LaBuda, and Dylan and Keira Leiby; and nephew Chistopher Fisher and his daughter Adair and husband Eric Gross.
A memorial celebration will be held in Sequim, Washington in the coming months. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Clarehouse Tulsa, 7617 Mingo Rd, Tulsa, OK 74133.