Gertrude A. Peer, 90, retired teacher
Gertrude Amelia (Webb) Peer, passed away Tuesday night, Dec. 16, 2003 at her Orofino home. She was 90. Gertrude was born Aug. 20, 1913 in Meridian to Samuel Alexander and Mary Maria (Shutts) Webb. Her grandparents were Norman Alexander and Gertrude Angelica (Hathaway) Webb of Maine, Illinois and Montana) and Frederick and Mary Amelia (Harnish) Shutts of Pennsylvania and Delaware). Her father's family traces back to colonial New England, with ancestors who came over on the second Mayflower. She married Edward Walton Peer in Boise, Aug. 1, 1936. He preceded her in death March 13, 1983 in Orofino. Gertrude and Ed had two children, Mary Elsie and Samuel Edward Peer. Gertrude graduated from Albion State Normal School in 1932. She held a lifetime teaching certificate from the State of Idaho, and took further education at the University of Idaho and Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa. "Mrs. Peer" taught school for nearly 40 years, beginning at North Star Mines and Gannet in Southern Idaho, Guffy in Owyhee County, Amity and other schools in Boise Valley. She began teaching at Banner School in Clearwater County in 1949 and then transferred to Orofino to teach fourth grade. She retired in 1974. For five years in the mid-1940s, she was the Deputy Auditor of Owyhee County at Murphy. At one of the first schools, Gertrude had to borrow a child from a neighbor in Meridian every couple months in order to keep six students in school, so the school could remain open. At another school, she boarded with families of school board members. At Guffy, she drove the school bus as well as taught. She was proud of teaching fourth graders chess, times tables, states and their capitals, as well as Idaho counties and county seats. When Bible reading was allowed in school, Gertrude read the 23rd Psalm every day to her class. Many of her students had it memorized by the year's end. Gertrude was a member of the First Christian Church in Orofino, and belonged to the Retired Teachers Association. She enjoyed cards (bridge, pinochle), poetry, and her vegetable garden. She played pinochle with the Orofino Senior Citizens every Saturday evening (just winning first place Dec. 14). She loved and could recite by heart several epic poems (taught by her father). Even in the past couple of years, Gertrude continued growing her tomatoes, which brought her great joy and pride. She is survived by her son, Sam (Marvel) Peer of Puyallup, Wash., daughter Mary (Gordon) Reimer of Port Angeles, Wash.; grandchildren Ed (Kathy) Peer of Ft. Drum, NY, Tony (Corina) Peer of Spokane, Amelia (Bob) Davisson of Neah Bay, Wash, Gordon E.R. Reimer of Port Angeles, Wash.; and sister Cleora McFadden of Meridian. Three nieces; six great-grandchildren and long-time friend Mel Snook (age 101) of Orofino also survive Gertrude. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28 at the First Christian Church.

Hazel Bird, 88, Weippe
Hazel Marie Bird of Weippe died Dec. 19, 2003 at Lewiston Rehabilitation and Care Center. She was 88. Hazel was born Aug. 18, 1915 to Asa and Cora Ellen Cook in Juliaetta. She grew up there and rode her horse every day to school. She graduated from Juliaetta High School. She married Nels Homsey in 1936. The couple lived on a farm near Genesee and had four children. The marriage later ended in divorce. In 1965 Hazel married Jack Bird and moved to a ranch near Weippe. She continued to enjoy all facets of farm and ranch life, from gardening, canning, sewing and driving truck to raising chickens and picking huckleberries and blackberries. She was active in the Fraser Grange, Women's Community Club and the Cow Belles. She is survived by her husband Jack at the family home; children Jerald Homsey of Lamar, Okla., carol Kasper of Baton Rouge, La., Loretta Fenrich of Spokane and Deborah Richardson of Lee's Summit, Mo.; four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren; and sisters and brothers in the area. A memorial service celebrating Hazel's life will be held Thursday, Jan. 1 at the Juliaetta Community Church.

June D. Heiskari, 70, Orofino
June D. Heiskari passed away Nov. 30, 2003 at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. She was 70. June was born June 30, 1933 to Matt August and Marie Augusta Mehtala in Oulu, Wis. The family moved to Kamiah in 1948, where her father worked for Waino Heiskari sawmill. June graduated from Kamiah High School in 1950. She married Russell Heiskari Aug. 25, 1951 in Boise. They lived in Kamiah until 1953, when they moved to their present residence in Orofino. June is survived by her husband, Russell, who resides at the family residence. She also has two younger sisters, Lois Hauerwas and Brenda Jean Blanc, as well as three daughters, Judi Snyder, Laurel Wynn and Mary Gord. She's also survived by grandchildren Nsharra Key, Shawna Knight, Jodie Nuxoll, Deak Wynn, Justin Hollibaugh, Lacy Spencer and Jake Spencer. June has 14 surviving great-grandchildren. A well-known cook, June's last place of employment was the Woodlot in Ahsahka. Her previous employment was at Big Bird Foods and she owned and operated the Ideal Cafe. June's hobbies included crossword puzzles, crocheting, sewing, flowers, cooking, trap-shooting, horseshoes and bowling. Cremation has taken place at June's request. A memorial service will be held Saturday, Dec. 6 at 11 a.m. at the Pizza Factory community room in Orofino. A potluck lunch will follow the service. Memorials may be made to the Shriners' Children's Hospital, 911 W. 5th Ave., P.O. Box 2472, Spokane, WA 99204, 509-455-7844.

Scott W. Palmer, 58, Elk River deputy
A memorial service for Scott W. Palmer, 58, Elk River deputy for the Clearwater County Sheriff's Department, was held today, Thursday, at the Elk River Community Bible Church. He died Saturday, Dec. 1, 2001 at his home from an apparent heart attack. Cremation was held prior to the service. He had been the Elk River deputy since 1995. Kramer Funeral Home of Palouse, WA is in charge of arrangements.

Lyle Thomas Wilson, 88, Weippe
Funeral services for Lyle Thomas Wilson, 88, who died Saturday, Dec. 1, 2001 at his home in Weippe, were held today, Thursday, at Pine Hills Funeral Chapel in Orofino. He was born in Weippe and had been a longtime resident. Logging and farming were his life long vocations.

Alice Elaine Stoddard, 88, Orofino
Alice Elaine Stoddard, 88, Orofino, died Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2001 from injuries suffered in a vehicle accident near Lenore. Funeral services will be held Friday, Dec. 7 at Pine Hills Funeral Chapel in Orofino.

Katherine B. Lougee, 90, Peck
Katherine B. Lougee, long-time Peck resident, passed away Feb. 23, 2003 at Clearwater Valley Hospital of causes related to age. Katherine was born June 7, 1912 to Stanislaw and Katarina Cermak at the family home on Cottonwood Creek, near Myrtle. She attended Glasby grade school and the Gifford High School. She married Ray Lougee in April of 1930 at Lewiston. They lived at Lenore, Spokane, Wash., Teakean and Peck. He died in January, 1975. Katherine enjoyed gardening, quilting, sewing and loved music, family gatherings and going to church. She was an avid collector of miniature owls. She enjoyed writing and began writing the Teakean news for the Clearwater Tribune in 1950. She served as the correspondent for the Peck news until her recent illness. Survivors include four sons, Lee and Sandy Lougee of Cardiff, Ben and Jean Lougee of Peck, Bernie Lougee of Cavendish and Ned and Claudia Lougee of Orofino; one daughter, Elsa Riek and husband Bob of Peck; 23 grandchildren; 39 great-grandchildren and 8 great-great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 28 at Pine Hills Funeral Chapel, Orofino. Burial will follow at Magpie Creek Cemetery. Marvin Preussler will officiate. A potluck dinner will be held at the Peck Community Center after the service. Pine Hills Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Sammie Anderson Bunyard, 55, Orofino
Sammie Anderson Bunyard died Monday, Feb. 24, 2003 at his Orofino, home of lymphoma. Sam was born July 9, 1947 in Houston, Tex. to J. LaVerne Howard and D.A. Bunyard. He spent his early childhood in East Texas, then moved to East Los Angeles, Calif. with his mother and brother, Sandy. As an adult he experienced many different lines of work and living at one time or another in most of the 50 states. He has lived in Idaho since 1991, and came to love and feel at home in the community of Orofino. He married Catherine Carlisle Woytko Jan. 22, 1988. They were later sealed in the Logan Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They had two children, Jacob, 14 and Jennie, 12. With this marriage, Sam became stepfather to Cathy's four children, Sydney Woytko Teuscher, Brian Woytko, John Woytko and Dustin Woytko, whom he loved very much. Sam loved being outdoors, fishing, swimming, horseback riding, motorcycle riding and traveling. He had a deep love for Jesus Christ and was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He enjoyed many callings, but perhaps his favorite was working with the Scouts. As a young adult Sam had many years of serious pain and problems. However, he will best be remembered as one who not only overcame those obstacles, but dedicated his life to helping others overcome them as well. His work as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor and at Idaho Correctional Institute-Orofino will long be remembered and continue to give hope. Survivors include his wife and children as mentioned above, two other children, Sylvia Ruhle of Texas and Jesse Bunyard, Kentucky; his mother LaVerne Straka of Burbank, Calif. and his brother Sandy of Logan, Utah. Funeral services were held Wednesday, Feb. 26 at the Oro-fino LDS Church, with Bishop Douglas Gray officiating.

Eleanor Mae Merriott, 75, Orofino
Eleanor Mae Merriott, Orofino resident, passed away the evening of Feb. 10, 2003. Eleanor was born in Phoenix, Ariz. Dec. 10, 1928 to Carl Oscar and Osa Mae Eliason. She married Wesley Merriott, who preceded her in death. As a young woman, she worked, doing various types of nursing. She was the director of care for a family-owned alcoholic treatment facility. After many years of living in the Napa/Sonoma Calif., area, the family moved to Southern California, where they started a construction company and Eleanor worked as bookkeeper. After the death of her husband, she went into real estate, where she worked until retiring to Idaho. Her love of roses and bird watching brought her many hours of pleasure working in her garden. Survivors include four children, Lee Merriott of Colo., Steve Merriott of Idaho, April Allen, Orofino and Nancy Chiaramonte of Calif.; a brother, Carl O. Eliason, Jr. of Parker, Ariz.; three grandchildren, Wes Buss, Washington, Jason Kizer and Brian Kizer, both of California; four great-grandchildren, Jordan, Jaden and Alexa Buss and Jason Kizer (Little Jay); nieces and nephews Sonny Eliason, Peggy Eliason and Cheryl Maddox, Danny Eliason, Gene Eliason and Randy Eliason all of California. A memorial service was held in Bonita, Calif., Feb. 16. Cremation has taken place, with her ashes to be scattered in Idaho.

Jacob Michael Carbury, 18, Nevada
Jacob Carbury passed away Jan. 28, 2003 of bacterial meningitis. Jacob was born in Rock Springs, WY. Feb. 11, 1984 to Norman and Teresa Carbury. Jacob attended Gr. Basin College and had been employed by TNT Equipment Repair for the last four years. He was a martial arts student and was enrolled in Kyokuskin at Elko, Nev. Jacob enjoyed hunting, fishing and gardening. He is survived by his parents, Norman and Teresa Carbury of Elko, Nev.; two brothers, Matthew of Coeur d'Alene and Norman Jr., of Elko; grandparents Everett and Lorraine (Carbury) Noakes of Orofino, John and Linda Carbury, Vancouver, Wash. and Lenore and David Hudam of Blanchard; aunts Val Dickinson Orofino, Cindy and Dwight Robinson, Lenore, Debbie and Charlie Missman, Newport, Wash. and Kathy and Howard Henke of Diamond Lake, Wash.; uncles Edward and Elaine Carbury of Huntington Beach, Calif. and Marcus Perdue of Dallas, Tex. and many cousins. He is mourned by a special girlfriend, Melisa Moore of Elko. A memorial service was held at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Elko, Feb. 9, 2003. His Uncle Dwight Robinson officiated, along with Pastor Kevin McDaniel.

Rick Moore, 36, Grangeville
Rick Moore died Jan. 8, 2003 due to an automobile accident near Grangeville, ID. He was born to Richard and Lois Moore Oct. 12, 1966 in Orofino. He was married to Debbie Morehouse in 1986 in Boise, ID and later moved to Grangeville, where they raised their two children. Rick worked in Cedar Mills and later became the owner and operator of All Bright Janitorial Service. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and camping, and driving in the demolition derby. Rick is survived by his wife, Debbie O. Moore, his son Casey and daughter Molly, all of Grangeville; his parents, Richard and Lois (Stanton) Moore, his brothers Brian, Dick and Steve, and sister Debbie A. Moore, all of Lewiston, and brothers Albert of South Dakota and Matt of Boise. Graveside services were held Monday at the Weseman Cemetery, Orofino. Services were under the direction of Blackmer Funeral Home in Grangeville.

Joan C. Pare, 64, Orofino
Joan C. Pare, died Jan. 10, 2003 at her Orofino home. Joan was born Sept. 8, 1938 in Port Angeles, Wash. to Celly and Elsie (Smith) Hopkins. She graduated from Port Angeles High School in 1956 and attended Seattle Washington University from 1956 to 1958. She received a BSW in social work from Eastern Washington University in 1973 and her masters degree in social work from EWU in 1984. She began her work career as a reservationist with Northwest Airlines in Minneapolis, Minn. from 1958 to 1959. She then worked as an airline stewardess for North Central Airlines from 1959 to 1962. In 1962, Joan became a Peace Corp volunteer, serving in Ecuador, South America until 1964. She met and married her husband, Maurice Pare May 25, 1963 in Ibarra, Ecuador. After returning to the United States, she was activity director for the Coeur d'Alene Convalescent Center from 1973 to 1974. She moved to Orofino in 1974, where she lived until her death. She loved nature and the outdoors, enjoying backpacking, cross country skiing, camping, hiking and jogging. She is survived by her husband, Maurice at the family home; two sons, Shawn Pare of Bothol, Wash. and Tom Pare of Concord, N.C.; a daughter Michele Magera of Selah, Wash; two brothers, Paul Hopkins and Dick Hopkins, both of Port Angeles, Wash.; and three grand-children, Mallory, Marcus and Alex. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 18 at Pine Hills Funeral Chapel. Rev. Clarence Howard will officiate. Memorials may be made in her name to AAUW Scholarship c/o Wells Fargo Bank, P.O. Box 2199, Orofino, ID 83544. Pine Hills Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Harold L. "Jimmy" Johnson, 68
Harold L. "Jimmy" Johnson passed away Jan. 10, 2003 at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston of pneumonia. Jimmy was born June 25, 1934 in Orofino, to Hjalmer E. and Myrtle B. Johnson. He spent the majority of his adult life in Weippe. He contracted polio at the age of three, resulting in the loss of his hearing. He was enrolled in the school for the deaf and blind at Gooding, attending all 12 years and graduating in 1953. Jimmy worked for his father at the family sawmill and for Hutchins Brothers sawmill crew. He married Eleanor Henry of Weippe, Sept. 1954. They were divorced after having one son. Another marriage also ended in divorce, and he married Patsy Gibbs Sept. 21, 2002. Jimmy enjoyed the outdoors, snowmobiling, 4-wheeling, and working with his hands in carpentry, woodworking, leather tooling and drawing and painting pictures. He is survived by his wife, Patsy, at their Orofino home; his son Jeff and daughter-in-law Chris of Lewiston; granddaughters Vickie of Lewiston and Jennifer of Lapwai; great-granddaughter Sierra of Lapwai; his sister Betty Cole of Weippe; and brothers Steve of Lewiston, Gene of Grangeville, and Pete, Clayton, and Tom, all of Weippe. Visitation was held Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2003 at Pine Hills Funeral Chapel, immediately followed by a memorial service. Arrangements are under the direction of Pine Hills Funeral Chapel.

Charles B. Calland, 81, Orofino
A memorial service for Charles B. Calland, who died Jan. 14, 2003 at Clearwater Health and Rehabilitation will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17 at Pine Hills Funeral Chapel in Orofino. A full obituary will be posted next week.

Betty Jo "Granny" House, 71, Orofino
Betty Jo "Granny" House, passed away Jan. 7, 2003 at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston of renal failure. Betty was born Aug. 28, 2931 to Verna Mae Clark Parker Crawford and Clyde Ulysses Parker in Wheeler, Ark. As a small child she lived and attended school in Fayetteville, Ark. and Kilgore, Texas. In 1944, at age 13, she moved with her family to Emmet, ND, where she completed school through the 10th grade. Betty worked at the Emmet Post Office and General Store as a teenager. She also worked on the farm during harvest. She met and later married Henry L. House in Minot, ND, Dec. 14, 1948. In November of 1949 they moved from North Dakota to Orofino. After Henry's death in 1974 she resided in Boise for several years, moving back to Orofino to retire. She recently had moved to Lewiston. She was a life-long home-maker, mother, grandmother and friend to all. Betty was affectionately know to everyone as Granny. She enjoyed camping, fishing, traveling, crafts, music, gardening, old movies and television. Survivors include her daughter, Deborah L. House; grand-daughter, BettyJo (Betsy) M. House; three brothers, John Crawford, Jim Crawford and Wendell Crawford; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends located throughout the United States. A memorial service was held Saturday in Lewiston. She was buried at Cloverdale Cemetery. Vasser-Rawls Funeral Home in Lewiston was in charge of arrangements.

Helen M. Lepka, 93, Coeur d'Alene
Helen M. Lepka, 93, Coeur d'Alene, passed away Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003 in Coeur d'Alene. Helen was born Aug. 20, 1909, in Sandpoint, the daughter of Martin and Emma Humphrey Piatt, an early Sandpoint family. She married Leon Paul Lepka Mar. 20, 1929, and had four children. They lived in the Sandpoint area until 1941, when they moved to Pierce. Helen worked many years at Durant's Mercantile and later at Kimble's Drugstore. In 1999 she moved to Coeur d'Alene to be closer to her family. She is survived by two sons, Michael Lepka and wife Sharon of Hayden, and Robert Lepka and wife Carol of Pasco; two brothers, Frank Piatt of Asotin and Delbert Piatt of Sandpoint; 10 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren. The funeral was held Jan. 14 at Sandpoint. Memorials may be made in Helen's honor to the Clearwater Valley Hospital Fund, P.O. Box 2169, Orofino, ID 83544.

Joseph Quinn, 90, Bremerton
Joseph H. Quinn, of Bremerton, Wash. passed away Jan. 9, 2003 at Harrison Memorial Hospital in Bremerton. Joseph was born May 29, 1912 in Oregon City, Ore. to William and Alberta (King) Quinn. As an infant, his family moved to Idaho. His parents divorced when he was very young and his mother later married John "Floyd" Newland. He married Olive Juanita Howard in Grangeville, Aug. 15, 1934. They lived in Stites until the town flooded in 1948. They then moved to Orofino and lived there until 1959, when they moved to Elk City. In 1964 they moved to Arizona, where they lived until retiring in 1985. Joseph worked as a security guard for the Apache timber Company in Whiteriver, Ariz. the last few years before retiring. After retirement, they lived in Bremerton and Clarkston. His wife passed away in 1993 and Joseph then lived in Grangeville, moving to Bremerton in 1998. Survivors include a son Larry of Bremerton, Wash.; a sister Erma Baldwin of Grangeville, a grandson Scott of Anthem, Ariz.; granddaughters Lori and Lisa of Silverdale, Wash. and four great-grandchildren. At his request, no services will be held. Cremation was under the direction of Lewis Funeral Chapel of Bremerton. Burial will be at Riverside Cemetery in Orofino.

Wayne K. Yenni, 84, Cavendish
Wayne Kenneth Yenni of Cavendish passed away Friday, Jan. 10, 2003, at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Lewiston where he had resided the past three years. He was born at Leland, near Kendrick, Oct. 25, 1918, to Leonard L. and Edna Fleshman Yenni. Wayne attended grade school in Leland, and graduated at age 15 as valedictorian of the Kendrick High School Class of 1935. Wayne attended the University of Idaho and graduated in 1939 with a degree in business administration and foreign trade. During college, Wayne was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Through one of his fraternity brothers, he met his future wife, Grace Haag, who was a student at the Lewis-Clark Normal School. Wayne and Grace were married June 30, 1940, at the home of her parents in Sandpoint. Upon graduation from college, he was hired as the wheat loan supervisor, and in the fall of 1941 he was promoted to office manager. Just 30 days later, he received orders to report for active military duty as the country prepared for World War II. In 1948, Wayne and Grace purchased an adjacent farm and he began his farming career, a profession he thoroughly enjoyed until his retirement. For 35 years, Wayne represented the Teakean-Cavendish area as a director on the Clearwater Power Co. board, serving as president from 1987-1990, participated in several community organizations and received many service awards. Wayne is survived by a daughter, Anne Anderson and husband, George, of Troy; a son, Bruce Yenni and wife, Cindy, of Teakean; a daughter, Carol Wilson and husband, Mike, of Coeur d'Alene; three grand-daughters; two grandsons; two great-grandchildren; and several nieces and a nephew. A memorial service to celebrate Wayne's life will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the United Methodist Church of Clarkston, 1242 Highland Ave. Malcom's Brower-Wann Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Joanne Williams Hartley, 64, Kamiah
Joanne Williams Hartley, a Kamiah resident, died at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston Jan. 12, 2003. Funeral services are pending. Trenary Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Evelyn Halesia Bollman, 84, formerly of Kooskia
Evelyn Halesia Bollman, a former Kooskia resident, died Jan. 9, 2003 at her home in Spokane, WA. Funeral services will be held Saturday, Jan. 18 at 11 a.m. at Trenary Funeral Home, Kooskia. Burial will be at Pinegrove Cemetery in Kooskia.

Thomas Richard Brill, 59, retired auditor
Thomas Richard Brill, a retired IRS auditor, died at his Orofino home Thursday, Jan. 2, 2003. Service arrangements are under the direction of Pine Hills Funeral Chapel.